demons
by Itsfhq
Summary: ace and asuna were always bickering with each other, until a certain yearly event that lasts one week things have changed between the two. asuna decides to follow ace and tries to convince him from hunting blackbeard but after a certain incident she dumps him and runs away. I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE IN ANY WAY, EIICHIRO ODA DOES. full summary inside, rated M for safety
1. Talk

**THIS IS MY VERY FIRST FANFIC, I HAVE EDITED THE STORY TWICE AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOTICED YES THIS WAS THE SECOND CHAPTER BUT I CHANGED IT TO BE THE FIRST, YES I KNOW I HAVE MANY SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES AS I SAID IN MY PROFILE ENGLISH IS ONLY MY SECOND LANGUAGE AND I AM NOT THAT GOOD AT IT, THIS IS THE RE-WRITTEN VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER**

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**Heart D. Asuna and Portgas D. Ace where once enemies until a yearly event, that lasts one week. establishing a new found friend ship Asuna decides to follow Ace and convince him from hunting Blackbeard however after a certain incident she mysteriously disappears. Torn apart searching for Blackbeard, his brother and Asuna while trying to escape Shanks wrath how will things turn out for him? I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE OR IT'S CHARACTERS, EIICHIRO ODA DOES, IF I DID ACE WOULD NEVER DIE - YOU SHALL LIVE IN OUR HEARTS - I ONLY OWN ASUNA AND THE OTHER OC'S.**

**This story was previously known as the pirate games, plot is divided into two parts:**

**Part I: this part of the plot follows Asuna and Ace during the yearly event, which is called '**_**the pirate games**_**' this event is used to decide and rank the Yonko**

**Part II: the second part is what happens after the games, with Asuna joining Ace into the hunt before she disappears. Searching for three people at the same time, in this part the story will be closer to canon.**

_**The story will be written from different point of views but it will be mainly Asuna's POV or Ace**_

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_**Chapter 1: talk**_

I looked up at the sky from where I lied down on the crow's nest "ugh, still not there yet" moaning I rested a hand over my forehead. "What's the hurry for Asuna-chan, its still to early" a red blob appeared right over my head – Shanks – his action took me by surprise causing me to jump and head butt into him

**Thud**

"Owww, can you please give me a slight warning before you come up over here, this might leave a bruise" I told him as I rubbed my forehead from the impact

"C'mon darling, it doesn't hurt that much, it would've been far worse if I hadn't used Busoshuko Haki -" he replied but I had cut him of before he continued any more, sensing my anger he backed up a few steps away

"You SHITHEAD, don't you know that I might've cracked my head" I yelled as I landed a hard punch onto his drunken head, roars of laughter could be heard coming from the deck

"Captain, you are done in that one, I don't want to see zombie Asuna" teased Yasopp as he looked up from his spot. The two of us joined the group of laughing pirates "you know...he...does have a point" Shanks stated in between laughs. Wiping a teardrop that had rolled down from my right eye I replied "ahhh, yeah and I don't want to be a zombie either".

"but your head wont crack easily"

"that's because it's hard as a shell"

"nah, it's because you are stubborn" Shanks teases, with that I ticked and my face became fueling red "AKAGAMI" I yelled but before I could do anything he had already jumped down and left, sighing I slumped back down on the crows nest

The rest of the day everyone spent it teasing each other and partying, relaxing on the railing I watched the sunset as the red skies turned darker by every passing second until it was pitch black the only light was coming from the ship, I was lost in deep thoughts about the games and what will happen to notice anything around me "this time for sure" I unconsciously muttered in a low voice.

"Is it okay if a sit there" Shanks pointed to the area next to me snapping me out of my thoughts

"You know you are the captain, you don't need permission to sit somewhere on this ship" I teased as I watched him lean backwards on the railing and using his only hand as means of support

"Yeah, but this is your private space and I don't want to invade it" he stated as he lifted his head to the sky

"Since when did you start acting like a father" I teased as I took a sip of sake

"Don't be harsh, anyways why were you talking to yourself"

"Wha... " I choked on my sake after I spat it out of my mouth like a fountain, Shanks let out a low chuckle

"that was a waste of sake" he stated

"well you surprised me and I wasn't talking to myself" I said as I rubbed the sake from my lips using the back of my hand

"Then what did you mean by 'this time for sure' what will happen" he asked

"Didn't you just say you don't want to invade my private space" I asked him back

"Well cant help overhearing, and I'm kinda curious, you know if it puts you in danger then I'm against it"

"Here we go with your fatherish attitude" I sighed and used my middle and index fingers to emphasize my sentence

"I'm too young to be called a father" he joked

"Well I was thinking about the games, I have some weird feeling that this year will be different, and I have made up my mind that this time I will murder fire fist for sure" I smiled as I watched the waves crashing against the side of the ship

"Give the boy a break, ya know he isn't a bad person"

"That is to you, but he is a asshole to me, thinking he is the best in the world" I argued back as my smile turned to a frown "his life is meaningless".

"Don't say that, also for the past few years many people come just to see what they call the main event"

"The fight between me and Ace" I tore my gaze from the sea to the sky

"Yeah and it always end in a draw, you two can fight for days without stopping and it will still be a draw"

"Not this time, I will defiantly murder him" I stated in a matter of fact tone

"He might not participate this year"

"What...why" I asked in surprise

"He is chasing after Blackbeard to kill him". I stared at Shanks in shock what does he mean chasing Blackbeard.

"Isn't he the guy who gave you that scar" I asked trying to avoid his eyes

"Why? does it bother you? Whitebeard wouldn't listen to me" he answered

"B..b..bother me no way, its just that Ace cant handle him, and I won't be the one to murder him" I replied back as I turned around to take my leave

"Yeah right, well later" he teased back and waved at me

I headed back to the cabin and jumped on the bed burying my face in the pillow during the process, sighing I turned onto my back and pulled the sheets over my body slowly drifting to sleep

**~some days later~**

the sun was shining high in the sky radiating its heat, while the weather was freezing cold, it was hard to decide what to wear. Unlike everyone else who made a fuss about the weather I decided to climb up to the crows nest once again but this time to tan and enjoy the sun and breeze because weather like this in the new world is rare. I warned the rest of the crew not to disturb me while I relax and of course no one came thanks to the deadly aura that I used

"hey Asuna-san can you please come down from there we need to send up a look out" yelled Lucky Roo as he chomped down on a chicken wing

"….."

"Asuna-san" he yelled once more.

"aghhhhh….what now" I yelled as I sat up straight and looked down while rubbing my eyes '_that was a good short nap_' I thought

"we need to send a scout up, I think we are getting closer to the island" he replied

"well I guess I will take a break, it has been 3 hours since I was here" I grabbed my jacket and wore it over my bikini top and shorts. As I climbed the edge of the nest I saw the silhouette of something "land up ahead" I yelled jumping down to the deck

"that was dangerous Asuna" stated Benn

"well I'm not hurt am I Benn-san" I replied politely with a smile

"no you look in a perfectly good health"

"thank you"

Finally reaching the port of _Kogane_ island I could spot the Moby Dick, it was the largest ship I have ever seen not to mention the other three paddle ships that housed the crew members who couldn't fit into that ship, just the size of the ship itself made the Red Force look like a worthless piece of shit. As the rest of the crew unloaded and restocked the supplies I went along with Benn to check into an inn while Yasopp and Lucky Roo went to get the best sake in the island and Shanks went to register the teams for the competition.

The hotels in town were dedicated for contestants to reside in making it easier for them, taking the keys of the penthouse from the innkeeper I made my way up the stairs with Benn, unlocking the doors I was met by the biggest penthouse by far it contained three bed rooms with double beds, one master room with a king sized bed, one kitchen, a dining table for 10 and on the opposite side of the table was a big living room and library, it also housed many things a pent house would feature.

Choosing the room at the end I threw my bag on the second bed and started exploring the room before unpacking, after I was done I stood up and made my way to the balcony, placing both hands on the railing I took a deep breath and looked around town "this place slightly changes every year, one time I might get lost" I told myself

"hey Asuna do you know that talking to yourself makes you look like a complete freak psycho and you wont find any dates" joked Benn from where he stood by the door frame

"well I don't care of what they think"

"suite yourself" he said raising both arms in the air as he left.

Scanning the town for one last time I spotted _him_, the excitement took control of my body and I was no longer able to wait for my match against Ace, I had my mind made up and I was going to defeat him this time.

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**Kogane:** golden


	2. prolouge

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

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_**Character profile**_

_**Name :**_ Heart D. Asuna

_**Age:**_ 20

_**Height:**_ 172 cm / 5'8"

_**Weight**_: 55kg / 121 lb

_**Bounty: **_550,000,000

_**Epithet:**_ The Dark Demon

_**Looks:**_ she looks like her father with the exception of her golden hair and emerald green eyes, she has a small scar above her left eyebrow though it is slightly invisible behind her fringe (being longer on the sides and side swept to the left), her hair is of shoulder length (perhaps slightly longer, but isn't back length), which she always keep in a pony tail or untied messed up/straightened and on occasions into pigtail. She has a tattoo of her name on the left side of her waist: アスナ.

_**Outfit:**_ her outfit ranges from time to time, usually they consists of shorts with a leather belt, a bikini top and with different forms of tops with it and different boot's depending on what she is dressed. most of the time she sports knee-length shorts with a tank top or jacket over her bikini leaving bit's of her tattoo visible, or thigh-length shorts with different slim-fit shirts. she rarely wears skirts, and sports different gloves with her outfits, around her neck is a locket with a picture of her mother, her three measurements are: B84-W48-H74

_**Personality:**_ like her father Asuna is a laid back and carefree person but not to his extreme however when the time calls for it she will get serious, she is a calm and collected person and would panic when she is caught off guard which is rarely. she deeply care's for her crew and friends and would fight anyone who means any harm. Similarly to her mother when she has her mind set on something she will not stop until she achieves it. When provoked Asuna would be compared to an erupting volcano that's why no one gets on her nerves with the exception of ace.

_**Abilities:**_ she is good at spying, collecting information, infiltrating marine bases, swordsman ship, hand to hand combat expert, immense strength, high endurance, Haki (all three types), magic expert (details explained later)

_**Relationships:**_

**Shanks:** even though he is actually her father Asuna never addresses him as such and never thinks of him a such, rather she refers to call him "Akagami" or "Shanks", however she does acknowledge his strength and respects him to an extent. he in return has an over fatherly love for her and has strong faith. Even though he left his wife before Asuna was born - he didn't know his wife was pregnant at the time - to follow his dream, he would regret not knowing about his daughter but would not regret leaving but would try to make up for the lost time if given the chance. their relationship is a sensitive one and is kept a secret, only few the most trusted crew members know about it.

**Benn Beckman:** Benn and Asuna are close friends, she seems to place more trust in him than in shanks, he is the only person she would follow his orders without complaining. she also tells him about her intentions rather than shanks, their relationship is that of best friends

**Yasopp:** he is one of Asuna's closest friends, and would be the one to cheer her up when she is down, he likes to tell her stories of his son Usopp. Asuna seems to trust his strength and shooting abilities and have taken a few classes from him, also Yasopp was the one who discovered her ability to sing.

**Whitebeard:** as a rival Asuna isn't fond of him but has a high level of respect towards the Yonko often calling him with a _-san_

**Marco:** he is a rival as well considering he is the first division commander go the whitebeard pirates, Asuna seems to hate his lazy attitude and hates it when he slacks off in front of her, but sometimes she finds him quite amusing and entertaining

**Thatch:** He was the only whitebeard pirate Asuna had taken a liking to, she had a friendly relationship with him and cared for his well being. she was sad when she had learned of his death.

**Ace:** they started of as rivals once they entered the grand line and often fought against each other until their rivalry turned to hate and became enemies. Ace would usually tick Asuna and get onto her dark side, calling her names would end up into a big fight. even though they are equally matched in strength and bounty she refuses to acknowledge his strength despite him being a division commander

_**History / past:**_

Before being born Shanks left his pregnant wife in west blue to pursue the path of piracy back then he was 19 years of age, his wife at the time 18 died giving birth to their daughter Asuna, leaving the infant in the care of a close friend named Miles. Once Asuna became three, Miles took the young girl and taught her in the first 5 months the basics of survival, the following three month she taught the girl different things including Haki; then during one of the lessons she changed the subject to: understanding, visualizing, giving form, believing, drawing energy and etc. unknown to Asuna she was being taught the basics of magic, after a year and a half of learning magic the older woman tested the young Asuna to see what type of magic suits her best, however the results were different from what Asnua had intended it to be - she had created a vortex of black and white light

"what did you just do" Miles asked in a concerned yet shocked voice

"well i thought of light and this happened" Asuna rubbed the back of her head confused. "did i do something wrong Miles-san" she asked slightly scared

"ancient magic"

"ancient magic?" Asuna asked as she tilted her head to the side trying to understand what the older female was talking about.

"ancient magic, is a type of magic that has been forgotten due to it's difficulty and the energy it uses that's why very little to no people can actually use it"

"so it's like unique magic" Asuna summed the explanation up, what would expect from a five year old how can she possibly understand such complex words.

"yeah putting it simple it's unique" Miles sweat dropped at the girls explanation

"unique and a cool name, I like it ancient magic" Asuna stated proud of herself

"actually there are many forgotten magic's, we just call them all ancient magic" Miles corrected the younger who pouted at her, the older woman chuckled and continued her explanation "your magic belongs to the hunter category, and is called god slayer, belonging to hunter you have to belong to an element and yours is light no to be precise holiness and you hunt gods like Zeus and Apollo though they are already dead to begin with"

Asuna stared at Miles in shock, her thought's everywhere she couldn't believe what she heard, what type of magic was that, was it even human, does it have any purpose any longer, how deadly is it, just what mess did she get herself into.

"don't worry I know just the right person who can help you, though she may be tough she is a kind heart and I'm sure you will make and excellent mage" Miles reassured Asuna as she rested her hand on the younger girl's shoulder. And so Asuna spent the next 10 years learning how to prefect her magic, self-defense and how to fight without using magic, by the time she finished her training Asuna was 16 and had grown into an independent woman though she did face problems with her previous attitude(s). The now teenage girl had decided to head back to west blue in search for her family and her origins – a journey of self discovery – it was then did she discover about her father he was a famous pirate named _Akagami no Shanks_, she began her search in north blue to the east blue ending it at south blue, it took her 9 whole months to find out that he just returned to the grand line from west blue. Being amazed by what the world had to offer Asuna decided to form a crew and head to the grand line, by that time she was 17 years of age, and it was what would be considered an adult in her hometown – the legal age was 15 in her hometown.

During her trips in the grand line had she met ace, their first meeting was in _Yama_ island and did he start of by pissing her off, she was in a bar drinking and stuffing her face but mostly drinking when a boy around her age with a eye-catching orange hat with two smileys came into the bar, he sat next to her studying her figure from the corner of his eye before turning around and propelling his arm on the counter and resting his hand on it, having a better view of the golden haired pirate . The blonde noticed what the teen boy was doing and turned around to face him, she pulled on a polite smile as she studied his features "so how can help you" she asked politely

"nothing really I was just seeing what business would a Blondie like you do here in the grand line" he replied cockily

"actually I believe it doesn't concern you, so how about you get lost or hit on someone else" she replied with a smile "and one more thing I am not a blonde so don't call me Blondie, Kiddo"

"oh so you are not a lifeless weak blond and what the news say about you is true" he asks

"of course it is true, they wouldn't call it a news paper if it was lie would it, Portgas D. Ace" she replied as she went back to her meal

"I'm amazed you know my name, Heart D. Asuna" he stated and ordered himself a plate of soup

"I like to keep well informed of the world around me" she replied as she took a spoonful of soup, not to long did Ace fell asleep into his soup Asuna could only watch in horror as her new friend died but then did she notice his chest rising upwards and downwards with each breath. "what do you know he just fell asleep" she sighed and resumed into eating her soup

"I'm sorry for our captain he cant control it" a guy with a white cowboy hat apologized as he took a seat next to his captain

"doesn't he fall asleep in the middle of fight's" Asuna asked slightly interested

"I'm afraid not, my name is Roy" he chuckled

"Asuna" the teenage girl smiled, just in time ace woke up and his face rose, Asuna couldn't help but chuckle at how he looked

"crap I fell asleep" he replied lazily and without any second thought he took Asuna's jacket and wiped his face with it, not to soon did Ace feel a stinging mark on his face with a red hand print, Asuna stood up and placed some spare change on the table "I thought if I let what you said earlier slide we could be friends but now you just did it" she growled and was about to leave when Ace grabbed her wrist

"oi, I think you made a mistake little miss" he glared daggers at her

"no you made one" she stated as she pulled her hand back and kicked him hardly in the groin, causing Ace to fall on the floor in pain "bitch" he growled

"thanks, I appreciate it asshole" asuna smiled and left the bar angrily, once she exited there was a explosion in the bar and asuna could be seen smirking.

Later they met each other in another island and did he pick the fight from last time, that's when their rivalry started and asuna would hate him even more when he would cause trouble and the marines where around. After destroying her coating and having a head start to the new world, Ace and asuna went their separate ways, she had finally found her father and ended up joining his crew after she gave the captainship to her first mate, Shanks was surprised and happy at the same time to meet the child he had with the woman he loved. Days flew by until 3 weeks were left before the pirate games stating he will test Asuna's true strength as well as she was informed about the other three crews and that whitebeard have got a new member named fire fist Ace, also in that day most of the crew learned what happened between them in the first half of the grand line and during the story telling shanks defended Ace which annoyed Asuna

During the second day of the games Asuna won the 1st place in a drinking contest for her feat of drinking 12 whole barrels of alcohol without getting knocked out. During the fourth day the organizers decided to match Asuna and Ace up, they kept on fighting on par until the time ran out resulting in a draw, fire fist kept arguing that he was holding back against a women, and since then they were matched up together and people named it '_the main event_' as it was the most interesting fight there is to watch.

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_**About the pirate games:**_

The pirate game are held every year to decide the ranks of the pirate crews and decides which 4 crews to be called the Yonko, the marines are blind to that fact and think of it as a way pirates spar against each other and collect money. The games are like a festival, pirates around the world gather to either watch or participate, and they last for a week it goes as following:

-day 1: preliminary round / introduce the teams

-day 2: completion / battle

-day 3: completion / battle

-day 4: completion / battle

-day 5: completion / tag battle

-day 6: break

-day 7: unknown finally

The rules are simple, each crew can enter a team or two composed of 6 members and have a signed member to be in reserve (teams can't exceed 7 players). The crew captain cannot take part in the games but can lend some leading points to the participants. Any form of cheating or outside help thus violating the rules the crew shall be banned from participating for 5 years. **Note** that the rules change every year and the organization is not responsible for any deaths.

It is unknown whom the mastermind behind this but neither pirates or marines alike would disturb the games. At the end of the games the four wining crews get rewarded with a certain amount of money – 1st place: 1 billion, 2nd place: 750 million, 3rd place: 500 million, 4th place: 250 million

_**The games history:**_

The games have been held for almost 11 years, every year the ranks come out as 1st: whitebeard pirates; 2nd: the red-haired pirates; 3rd: kaido; 4th: big mam. Every year the number of participants increase, thus the organizers ended up using a preliminary round during their 5th year to cut the teams down to 20. Most rookies make their debut in the games and it is when most crews find their rivals.

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**A/N: excuse the crappy prologue - introduction and don't make it stop you from reading it, for those who might've noticed I got the idea of the games from fairy tail, all I can say is hey I like the idea of competing for the title of the Yonko, I have edited this story several times, and also I will say one thing: English is my second language so it's not my fault if I repeated things over again or at times my sentences don't make any sense - I get that from my teacher anyways - my main point is if you notice anything tell me, and I will try my best to improve. thank you and please enjoy my weird fan fiction :p**


	3. At the bar

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

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_**Chapter 2: at the bar**_

**Ace's POV**

I looked up to the sky when I felt an eye on me scanning the area I spotted non other than Asuna, she was trembling from excitement but I couldn't tell what she was excited about. _'That smile of yours won't last long_' I thought to myself as a smirk appeared on my face while I wandered the streets looking for restaurants and bars

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**Asuna's POV**

after ace left I went back into the room and took a long shower after all, this trip was exhausting for my body.

**Knock**

"Asuna hurry up the crew is going to the bar and I want to use the bathroom" yelled Nel - my roommate for the next following days, she just insisted to participate this year and Shanks had no other choice but to say yes.

"Gimmie a sec" I yelled back as I got out of the tub

"You were in there for 2 hours now"

"Soo"

"..."

"I want to feel fresh and you know that sort of things"

"Okay but just hurry"

Covering my body with a robe up until my knees I got out of the bathroom into the room, I looked at Nel who had back length green hair and wore a shirt with a short jacket over it, a mini skirt with thigh length socks and knee length boots, compared to me Nel was more lady like and had bigger breast, at times I envy her for it, sighing she stood up and took her clothes with her to the bathroom. Shrugging I went to my drawer and took out a grey jumper with a white 'X' mark in the middle, black jeans and knee length boots because during the night the temperatures drop drastically it even reaches below zero.

"Ahhh that was a nice bath" states Nel as leaves the bathroom dresses in jeans and a turtle neck cotton shirt grabbing her leather jacket.

"Its nice and refreshing right"

"Yeah and whoaaa" she turned around to see my hair tied in a wet messed up ponytail

"What" you looked at her

"You'll get a cold like that and just dress for once like a lady, Benn is right you do scare men like that"

"Do I look like I give a shit about men besides I'm a pirate and I don't need to be all girly"

"Yeah say that when you die and you still are a virgin". My first turned red at her comment she was right I am 20 and I still haven't had sex yet.

"Well I wont now lets go" I replied and made my way to the lobby

**~at some bar~**

"Its been a while hasn't it Asuna-chan" the barmaid greeted as she place a cup of sake in front of me. As far as the games started the red haired pirates had been using this bar like a HQ if you were to look for someone that person would be there for sure. I have been good friends with the barmaid, it was when she wrote this song and had me sing it, only to reveal that I can actually get a fortune from singing – that day I made around 10500 berri – and the crew from then on had me sing for them.

"Hey Wendy-san do you have any new songs for Asuna to sing" Nel asked

"Well yeah a couple though they are not the usual"

"Why not?"

"I wrote them after I broke up with my boyfriend"

"Ahh love songs, this would be perfect for Asuna to sing" Nel giggled, I glared at them from the corner of my eye with a 'don't you dare' look

"Don't even think about it I will not sing them" I threatened as I approached them

"Why not Asuna-chan?"

"Cuz it will make me look lifeless" I replied

"So you do actually care about your reputation" Nel stated as she placed her hand on my shoulder

"Well in some sense yeah but at shit like love no I don't"

"Whatever" Nel rolled her eyes, at times like those I think Wendy feels awkward being around us when we argue

**Cling**

A person had entered the bar he was wearing a black coat and a hat covering his facial features, the man took a seat in the corner and ordered himself a drink, something about him seemed familiar perhaps it was the two smileys on top of his hat, if I just could make his features

"Here you go Asuna" Benn came from behind and handed me a paper "now sing, please". Rolling my eyes I returned the sheet back to him and went back to sipping my sake

"Hahaha you sing its like a nightmare" the mysterious person in the corner laughed, I realized that it was Ace from his voice ,glaring at him I pulled the piece of paper from Benn and headed towards the stage.

"Hey Wendy if I sing can you charge that man double the price and give me one free shot" I asked while flinging the guitar around me and took one sip of sake before standing in the middle of the stage, plucking the cords I began to sing

_I let it fall, my heart_

_And as it fell, you rose to claim it_

_It was dark and I was over_

_Until you kissed my lips and you saved me_

_My hands, they're strong_

_But my knees were far too weak_

_To stand in your arms_

_Without falling to your feet_

_But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew_

_All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true_

_And the games you play, you would always win, always win_

_But I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Let it burn while I cry_

_'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name_

_When laying with you_

_I could stay there, close my eyes_

_Feel you here, forever_

_You and me together, nothing is better_

_'Cause there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew_

_All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true_

_And the games you'd play, you would always win, always win_

_But I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Let it burn while I cried_

_'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name_

_I set fire to the rain_

_And I threw us into the flames_

_Where I felt somethin' die, 'cause I knew that_

_That was the last time, the last time_

_Sometimes I wake up by the door_

_Now that you've gone, must be waiting for you_

_Even now when it's already over_

_I can't help myself from looking for you_

_I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Let it burn while I cried_

_'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name_

_I set fire to the rain_

_And I threw us into the flames_

_Where I felt somethin' die_

_'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time, oh_

_Oh, no_

_Let it burn, oh_

_Let it burn_

_Let it burn_

* * *

**Ace's POV**

'_damn she is good that was unexpected_' I thought, shock written all over my face, she took another cup of sake and glared at me. "Well it was the lyrics, I bet if a professional sang it the outcome would be better" I commented and ordered another cup of beer

"You just hate to admit that I'm good" she smirked and ordered another round of sake

"No not really your voice is so pitchy" I lied, taking another sip of my sake. I could've sworn that just now before she turned around an evil smirk appeared on her face, I don't know what she is thinking but I cant help but wonder. By far she didn't do a thing yet she was drinking, dancing and singing with the rest of the crew '_how much carefree can they be_' I thought as I noticed her drinking another shot, her cheeks were already lightly tainted red. Now isn't the time for my narcolepsy to kick in, I was in the enemy's nest to feel dizzy but the dizziness didn't last for long as I felt something cold, wet and sticky on my head, as I lifted my head to see that it is sake all over me, Asuna was standing holding a big cup of sake over my head and started laughing in a drunken tone

"what's wrong with you" I jumped from my seat and pushed her angrily

"thi-his is just a warnin ~" she states in a drunken tone

"your just drunk" I exclaimed and backed a few steps

however she closes the gaps between us leaving a few inches between our faces "we'll settle things in the games, and don't make up any excuses when you lose".

My face turned pale at the proximity, she may be drunk but in that instant she was dead serious, I turned around after recovering and saw her heading towards the exit and waves her hand "later fire boy". In that instant I felt utterly weak, I wasn't able to stand up to her, thoughts rushed through my mind at an unbelievable speed '_what if she was serious and I would loose this time, how will I face everyone then_' I took a deep breath and stood up "guess I will hit the bunks early today" I waved to Shanks and the others goodbye and left to the hotel the crew was staying in.

"take care and don't let it get to you" Shanks waved back.

**~at Ace's room~**

I removed my coat and hat placing them on the standard coat hanger, pushing my boots off I let myself fall on the bed drained out of energy and closed my eyes trying to sleep, '_a week of this and I will go back to hunting Blackbeard, I will return things to the way they are supposed to be_'

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song used in this chapter, Adelle does and it is called set 'fire the rain'**


	4. preliminary round

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

_**Chapter 3: preliminary round**_

**Asuna's POV**

the sound of sirens echoed in my mind waking me up from my sleep, though at times I am a light sleeper but tonight I was sleeping heavily tonight, rising from the bed I reached to the clock and read the time. "it's 4.30 am who is causing such fuss outside" I groaned as I rolled back onto the bed, some of the alcohol taking effect on me

"attention please" a voice is heard over the speakers, fully awake I jump out of the bed and head towards the balcony to see what is going on.

"on behalf the organizing board I welcome you to this years pirate games, each team will find an envelope with instructions on it, the first 20 crews to gladly follow the instructions clear the preliminary round, now let the games begin" as soon as the announcement was cut off things began to become hectic in town with pirates running all over the place.

"hey guys wake up the preliminaries started" I yelled as I left the room and headed to the door, in mere seconds the rest of the team was around me awake and had their boots on, Nel threw me a hoodie as I picked up the envelope.

"there is no time to change clothes let's hurry" she states

"we're all ready just what does it say" Yasopp answers back

"it says that the preliminaries are like a scavenger hunt but first we need to find list of things we need that is located at -" I started but stopped when Benn pulled the paper from me

"where the hell is: classical blues may dance in you, full of promises, may the odds be you" he asks

"it's some sort of riddle it has to be, no it must be" I reply as I pull the paper from him

"can I see it for a sec" Nel asks as she pulls an piece of paper and a pen, she writes the riddle down and starts drawing a mind map "perhaps the last part is the key" she states scratching the back of her head

"well it is the most suspicious one" Benn nods in agreement "what do they mean by: may the odds be you"

"now I see, that way it makes more sense" I muttered pulling the pen and paper from Nel

"what does" everyone ask in unison

"if we reword the phrase into : promises may dance on you, may the odds be classical blue" I wrote the new riddle down on the piece of paper "there is a much clearer meaning"

"what does it mean now" Nel asked taking the piece of paper before handing it to Benn "it still makes no difference"

"actually it does, this way I can solve the riddle" I poked my tongue taking back the paper and circling the first part "you see this part means it is in a place where people dance"

"okay and what about the second part" Lucky Roo asks taking a bite of his meat, even though it is really early in the morning he would be eating meat

"the second part has to refer to music" I explained "there are two type classic music and blues but I don't get the odd part"

"simple, the second part stands for Class 7, they are a music group that sing blues and the odd is the number 7" Yasopp stated

"tell me how do you know about them" I asked stupidly

"oh those guys are famous in this island, I heard they perform to the king's yearly ball" he replied, I made a humming sound and nodded

"but what does the connection between them" Nel asks as she drew a mind map "I mean the first and second parts"

"now I get it the place we need to search for is promise center, Class 7 gives music classes and preform there" Benn replies

"isn't promise center a place where people who aspire to become artists go" Lucky asks

"yeah music, dancing, theater all of the arts you just name it" Nel replies

"so it has to be there" Benn stands up and heads out with the rest of the team following him.

The island had gradually turned into a mess, we had somehow finally managed to reach promise center without getting noticed however we were met with tight security, walking towards the gate there was coded note:

32-1-20-3-8/15-21-20/6-15-18/20-8-5/1-12-1-18-13-1 9

studying the code I noticed that each set of numbers was separated by a slash, and that each set has a different amount of numbers written in it, grabbing the piece of paper that we had I wrote down my conclusion: 5/3/3/3/6

"A sentence composed of 5 letters then 3 and 3 and 3 then 6" I stated

"but how do we decipher it" Nel asks

"the numbers are codes for words but there are many codes I don't know which"

"use the most simple and used code, A=1, B=2 and so on" Benn answers and pulls the pen to decipher the code

"Watch out for the alarms?" Yasopp reads tilting his head to the side "how the hell do we break in without getting noticed"

"Simple" Roo points at me

"What me but-" I tried to argue back but it was of no use

"That's right you are good at infiltrating marine bases without being noticed" Yasopp added and everyone else nodded in agreement

"Ugh...do we have another option" I asked myself grabbing an amount of dirt from the ground and throwing it over the field, slowly lasers appear all over the field, taking in a deep breath I grab the edge of the wall and jump over it landing swiftly on the ground, looking behind me I noticed that none of my teammates where looking over the wall, using my Haki I noticed them taking a seat and resting until I finished '_thanks for the support_' I growled before focusing my Haki on the field.

Thanks to it I had swiftly made it to the front door of the center by crawling on the ground walking over lasers, jumping between them and dogging the moving lasers, pushing the door open I walked inside the building and met a table with a map of the campus, squinting my eyes in the darkness because I cant use my light I managed to see a note stating to got to room E25.

Looking at the campus map I saw a big box written on it E25, looking at the top of the map I read the words _second floor_, "room E25 second floor" I told myself and left for the stairs after scanning the map one more last time, searching the second floor in the darkness I cam across a big room with many doors cursing under my breath I began searching each room "you gotta be fucking with me, just how many E25's are there, please be this one" I growled as I opened the door E25-i, however the room was empty, I felt like breaking the door and proceeded to the next room, "E25-i check, 9 done 17 to go, room E25-j" as I slowly opened the door a relieved smile crossed my face as I saw a yellow envelope, walking towards the envelope slowly I noticed that the words _preliminary hunt_ are written in black, grabbing the envelope I shoved it in the pocket of my pajama's and headed back outside.

"2 hours, you spent 2 fucking hours for this" Nel roars after you had left the campus and handed them the envelope

"A. there were lasers around the field, was dark was a maze inside there" I argued back "oh and did I forget to mention the surveillance den den mushi's"

"stop it, all what matters is that you got our clue without being caught" Yasopp interrupts stopping is from getting into a fight

"thank you at least someone appreciate my efforts" I stated and leaned on the wall next to Benn, folding my arms over my chest and watched Nel as she opened the envelope

"it says to find the things in the given list and head to the parlor café, when we reach there we have to ask for a woman named Marie and give her all of our envelopes along with the items we will gather, then we have to wait for another set of instructions" she states "so what now"

"we split up into pairs and meet back here at the plaza" Benn orders

"I'm going with Benn" I raised a hand in the air, after choosing their partners each group went their separate ways, after 3 hours and 45 minutes we managed to complete our task and made our way to the café, we reached at around 11.30 and asked for Marie.

"How may I help you" a red-headed busty woman of average height with black jeans and a bikini top under a red apron asked, Benn gave her the items and the envelopes "now I see just a sec, feel free to order what you want it's on the house" she smiled and went inside a room, we chose a table in the corner and stated our orders

"is the breakfast rush available now" Nel asked the waitress

"yes mam it is available until 12.30" the waitress replies

"then I'd like one rush please" she ordered in the most polite way

"we will have the same" Benn points to him and Yasopp

"I want French toast, 3 croissant, chocolate cake, cheese cake and coffee, after I finish I want some sake for dessert" I ordered, Nel looked at me with wide eyes "what I'm hungry and I did most of the work"

"I will get your orders ready" the waitress replied as soon as she got everyone's orders.

after the waitress had left by a minute Marie had come back with an envelope, handing it to Benn "I apologize for my lateness, but congratulations for finishing the 4th place, this is a letter for Shanks-san, the opening ceremony will be at 4.30 but be there at 4.00 sharp, this year is slightly different"

"don't worry about it" Benn tells her "we will be there at 4.00 sharp"

"then enjoy your meals" she says as the waitress brings us our meals

"thanks for the meal" we say in unison before we started digging into our breakfast, by far Roo and I were the only messy eaters. A few minutes later another group enter the bar, I turn around and to see it was the whitebeard pirates shooting Ace a nasty look I returned to my meal, midway into my cake I came to realize something and ended up chocking on a croissant.

"oi are you okay" Roo asks handing me a cup of water, taking it from his hand I swallowed the water in one gulp letting a sigh of relief when I finished.

"thank you" I told him as I placed the cup on the table

"that's why you shouldn't eat your food quickly and ever heard of a fork and knife" Nel states as she eats in an etiquette manner

"croissants aren't meant to be eaten by a fork and knife" I stated pointing my index finger

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I have to agree to that, some dishes aren't meant to be eaten by a fork and knife" Ace joins the conversation.

"this doesn't concern you Portgas stay out of it" I turned around to face the whitebeards "this brings me to why I chocked in the first place"

"why" Nel asks as she takes another bite from her meal

"you guys did finish the preliminaries right" I asked them

"we just completed the quest and are waiting for further instructions" Marco replies as he joins our chat

"I see"

"why do you ask, Asuna"

"its just that I was wondering who are the top 3"

"WHAT, you are 4th" Ace yelled

"that's right and you guys are 5th" Marie returned handing them a envelope similar to the one she handed Benn "just like I said to those guys earlier, give this envelop to whitebeard, and the ceremony starts at 4.30 be there at 4.00"

"sure thing but anyways mind eating with me" Ace interrupts as he puts his arms around Marie's shoulders and turns around in an attempt to flirt with her

"I'm afraid that flirting with a judge is counted as sexual harassment and I can get you disqualified for that" she states and shoves his hand of, Ace just stood there shocked of being turned down, taking advantage of the situation I let out a chuckle "next time be careful when flirting with women" I warned however in return he glared at me, ignoring him I returned back to my meal.

**~back at the hotel, Time:12.45~**

"well done guys, spend the rest of the remaining time to rest" Shanks ordered as he took the envelope from Benn before dismissing the team. I walked to our room and opened the door throwing my hoodie on the bed and pushing of my boots I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

"that was refreshing" I stated as I left the bathroom in a new outfit

"you say that for every bath" Nel states as she fiddles with the alarm

"what are you doing" I asked noticing her toying with the alarm as I closed the curtains of the room

"setting the alarm for 2.30"

"why"

"because we have until 3 to be ready, that's what captain said" she replied and set the alarm aside

"two hours are more than enough, night" I told her as I snuggled into my blankets trying to get some sleep because it is going to be affective for later in the opening ceremony, I heard Nel chuckle slightly before she turned all the light's off.


	5. opening

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

_**Chapter 4: opening**_

**Ace's POV**

**~Before setting to the arena around 3.30~**

"Listen this year things are different" Whitebeard states as he took a sip of his sake

"What do you mean pops" I asked not understanding what he meant

"Well for starters each team is given a name and ours is _cinco_" he says massaging his forehead "second at the arena a jacket is given to each member which has the emblem of the games and it is compulsory to wear them"

"What do we have to" I muttered

"Yes you have to and I don't want to hear any complaints from you" Whitebeard answered back, from behind me I could see Marco, Jozu and Vista laughing their asses off, rolling my eyes I ignored them and left the room.

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

**~at the stadium~**

Changing my usual jacket to the given one, I headed towards the gate leading to the field waiting for our turn, sitting in the waiting area I spotted the whitebeards heading to make their appearance, it seems that everyone had to wear those jackets.

"next up in fifth place this is unfortunate team _cinco_ under the command of the Yonko Whitebeard" the commenter announces, and by queue their team head towards the arena, I couldn't help but chuckle at their name

"What are you laughing about" Nel asks as she tie the lace of her boots

"ahh the board has no sense of choosing names" I sighed

"next up is also another unfortunate landing, taking on the 4th place is team _cuatro_ lead by another Yonko the Akagami no Shanks" the commenter states, standing up on our queue we headed to the field as we heard the crowd cheering loudly.

"team _cinco_ huh, that doesn't match you guys" I teased and ended up bursting from laughter

"well team _cuatro_ isn't better than it is it" replies Ace with a stern look.

"can't believe I'm saying it but you have a point there" I agree while trying to level up my breathing

"anyhow who do you think is at the top ranks" he asks

"beats me"

"lets continue ranking 3rd team _Tres_ under the command of also another Yonko Kaido the beast" that was totally unexpected as a team emerges the faces from there were familiar with the exception of one new member. "Yo weaklings" the new member greeted waving his hand to our and Ace's team, both ace and me glare at him as he just laughs it of.

"In second place they rise two ranks, team _Dos_ under the command of the Yonko big mam" the usual team enters no new faces. "We made it second this year, now its time for the table to turn" a member of their team states

"Then who is first" Ace muttered narrowing his eyes at the entrance

"I've got a bad feeling about this" Marco replies with a serious expression

"Cant agree more" Benn joins their conversation as he puffs out smoke from his cigarette

"Whoa this is unbelievable, 1st place is team _Uno_ also under the command of Kaido" the commenter yells through the den den mushi, the stadium became filled with cheers and laughter as a group of people enter the field, however many teams had their eyes set to the new weird looking group.

"Both teams are on the running, this might be a disadvantage for us" Nel exclaims.

"I don't like this" I muttered as I clenched my fists tightly, something in the air no something about those six people made me shiver '_something is really wrong'_

"is everything alright" Nel and Yasopp asked with a confused look noticing my expression, shaking my head I smiled at them "don't worry about it I'm perfectly fine"

"this is it for tonight, good night ladies and gentlemen and see you tomorrow morning for the first day of action" with that the commenter had ended the first day of the games smoothly. Leaving the Coliseum I haven't realized that the weather dropped until I read the road thermometer placed on the street lamp, holding my jacket from the bottom I zipped it up and headed to the bar for early dinner, just like most crews went to eat seeing that it was 6.30 and the sun was starting to set.

**~at the bar~**

"What's all the ruckus about" I asked as I noticed more people in the bar and that it was more energetic than usual

"oh this" Shanks replies as a wide smile etched his face showing his teeth's "I invited Whitebeard and his crew for dinner, well mostly Whitebeard and the commanders"

"WHAT" I exclaimed "did I hear right, you invited Whitebeard and his commanders"

"yes they are coming, the main purpose is that we are going to discuss the Kaido problem, and you my dear will have to attend" he replied extending his hand with a bottle of sake

"thanks" I say pulling the bottle of sake and opening it "do I have a choice but be warned there might be a fight and you know who is going to be my victim"

"no you don't, and I do expect you to be on your best behavior" he takes back the bottle of sake from my hand and drinks it

"my sake" I whined

"I didn't say it was for you I just asked you to open it and relieve me from the trouble of doing it myself" he replied

"shitty captain"' I muttered grumpily sitting down on a bar stool ordering myself a drink, and gulping it down in one go.

It was a matter of time before Whitebeard and his commanders arrived, both captains greeted each other and had a friendly chat drinking sake at the same time, meanwhile I watched from the corner drinking my nth cup still sulking about earlier and trying to shake my worries from the opening ceremony. "drink a lot and you wont be able to participate tomorrow" a voice comments from behind me followed by a giggle and a snort, turning around I met the owner of the voice Ace along with Marco and Nel.

"shut up" I told him with a poker face before returning to my drink, slamming the empty cup on the bar I folded one arm on the table resting my head on it while the other played with the empty cup

"c'mon Asuna you know he was just joking" Marco defends his friend thinking that I am angry about Ace's comment

"You've been acting weird since the opening, are you sure you are alright" Nel asks

"For the millionth time I'm fine" I replied raising my head slamming my hands on the table and standing up from my seat

"Well when a monster says its fine then there is no use to bargain around that" Ace jokes.

"shut it" I growled and was about to punch him when I remembered what Shanks asked my to do, sighing I walked past them "I'll wash my face and be right back"

'_what's wrong with me_' I thought as I wiped the water from my face with a towel, looking at my reflection – exhausted eyes with a hint of pain – there were many questions I needed the answer for '_that Kaido how did he recruit those people, why is it that when they look at me they have the same look as _them_, just who are they_' I thought, sighing I splashed my face with water one more time before shaking it hardly "snap out of it" I told myself while slapping my cheeks hardly. wiping my face once again I headed to the door, I was greeted by Shanks and Whitebeard along with both teams heading to the back door "get your lazy ass here" my drunken father orders, without further delay I walked towards the group closing the door behind me and took a seat at the further corner, leaning on the wall lowering my head and crossing my arms over my chest listening to the conversation carefully.

"as you all know we are here to discuss the Kaido matter" Whitebeard starts "it seems that he has new members in their ranks"

"as well as having two teams in the running, this could cause us trouble and he has a higher chance of winning as well as have both teams on the top 4" shanks continued

"actually I'm not that worried about them having two teams on the running, I'm more worried about team _Uno_, they look like a troublesome bunch" the entire room look at Whitebeard who had hit the main point of the meeting. '_he noticed it too_'

sighing I pushed myself from the wall and approached the group "if I may" I raised my hand waiting for approval, when Shanks nodded I took it as a yes and voiced my thoughts "I have noticed this aura coming from them it seems weird and familiar I just cant seem to wrap my finger around it"

"that's why you were not yourself and were acting weird" Nel asks

"No…I..I wasn't I was just thinking about it" I replied quickly shaking my head "it's not something we can ignore"

"so in other words drowning yourself in alcohol and sulking is you just thinking about it" Ace points out much to my embarrassment, I tried my best not to punch him in the face right there and save my anger for the games.

"I was trying to forget about it"

"yeah right" he rolled his eyes, I couldn't hold it on any longer and was about to punch him, forget about that shitty new rule thanks to some idiot who started a fight and ended up getting killed, 'fight's between contestants outside of the arena during their stay is prohibited any team to do so will be disqualified immediately'

"stop it you two and behave yourselves" Whitebeard raises his voice slightly, causing Ace to back off and reminding me that I was about to break a rule and get the team disqualified. "sorry" I muttered and took a seat next to Roo frowning

"meat" Roo asks offering his loaf, I smiled and shook my head "some other time"

"I also felt it" Marco states as he looks at me "a weird feeling in the air around them, just remembering it leaves a bad taste in my mouth"

"then it's settled we cannot ignore this matter two people sense it and have their worries about it, what should we do Whitebeard" Shanks ask as he takes a drink from his sake and looks at his fellow Yonko

"I will send a few men to look into it but meanwhile I advise everyone to stay alert and cautious for until the games end, don't do anything reckless got it, specially you two Ace and Asuna" Whitebeard declares as he stands up heading to the door "thanks for the treat". As the meeting was over I was the only one left in the room sitting with my jacket in my lap and watching the party getting quieter by the minute "Tschh…as if am the reckless one here" I muttered with a frown decorating my face.

"I know you don't like it but we just need to stay on the safe side for now" Shanks smiles as he enters the room only to pick up his half empty bottle of sake, I watched as he walked towards me and couldn't help but smile a bit

"You look glum, come I'll treat you to a drink just cheer up" he says holding his hand for me to reach. "I don't feel like drinking anymore" I told him as I took his hand, I could see him pout and couldn't help but chuckle "maybe one shot but that's it", a smile etched his face as he pulled me to the bar. After taking two shots we said our good byes and I wore my jacket, walking along the streets of town quietly he noticed my depressed expression "You know if anything is wrong you can talk to me" he says as he flung his arm around my shoulder

"Tomorrow will be a tough day" I tell him as I snuggle by his side, a sad smile appeared on my face "I could really use a hug now"

He smiles and turns around pulling me into a hug resting his chin on my head and ran his fingers through my messy hair "everything is going to be alright you don't need to be sad, I don't want to see you unhappy anymore" I felt relieved for the first time tonight, I wanted to stay in his embrace like this forever, I wanted to feel his warmth and passion and cry in his arms but it seemed to true to last forever as I broke the hug and turned around wearing a serious face

"who is there" I asked as I felt a strange presence watching us but I received no reply in the dark alleyway "maybe it's my imagination, the alcohol must be working"

"no, I felt it as well someone was watching us but" he placed a hand on my shoulder as he scanned the area "when we noticed him that person disappeared"

"why would someone spy on us" I asked

"I don't know but we have to be extra careful" he states and continues his way back to the hotel leaving me behind, noticing that I ran quickly to his side and held his hand "don't leave me being" I pouted, seeing my expression he chuckled slightly and kept my hand in place, walking hand in hand we made it the hotel in one piece, exhausted I quickly made it to the room and changed into my pajama and hit the bed.

* * *

**Shanks POV**

I looked at the ceiling of my room trying to put the pieces of information together '_we both felt, someone was watching us there is no mistakin' it, just who was it, they cant be working for Kaido, it was the same aura from the ceremony only this time it is much more noticeable with a hint of blood lust, also their target is either me or Asuna_'. Turning around after coming out with nothing, slowly my eyelids began to close but something tells me that I wont sleep heavily tonight.

* * *

**Third person POV**

In some warehouse stood several cloaked figures taking, "so what do you say" a rough voice asks, he was the tallest of the two

"hmm…I can say she is a troublesome opponent" the other figure replies, from its tone anyone can tell it was a woman

"and Shanks what is his relationship with her"

"according to the reports they seem to have a complex relationship"

"what do you mean" the taller figure asked now curious as to what the other figure is talking about "does he love her"

"no it's more deep rooted but I will confirm it tomorrow" the woman chuckled "also I will test her real strength, so don't blame me if she dies because I will not hold back on her". Suddenly another cloaked figure appears, it was smaller in size "nee-san just say you want to take revenge on her" it said, by his sound was like a teenager about 13 or 14

"mission complete, the Whitebeard pirates aren't that special, well the only troublesome member is Mr. Phoenix"

"Why is that" asked the women

"even though he may not look like it he was on his guard the entire time, a proficient Haki user seeing as how he noticed I was watching despite my ability to conceal my presence perfectly, he was close to pin pointing my exact location, but the most thing we should be wary about is his devil fruit"

"you sure did your job well" the woman states

"nee-san I have to say you are demon, using the info you gathered to crush the little miss"

"baka otōto, this is a game where the devil and his offspring all die, I will have my revenge against the real demon she cant play innocent for long"

"that's enough you two" the larger figure speaks up causing the other two to shut up "you two are dismissed, now go rest and make sure you succeed in your next mission, I do not expect failure"

"Yes sir" both figures reply in unison before disappearing in the darkness, '_Akagami no Shanks and Whitebeard, your age is over and I shall rise to the top, I shall make it so that you watch your subordinates and loved ones fall right in front of your eyes_' the cloaked figure thought as a wide grin appeared from under his hood.


	6. faliure

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

_**Chapter 5: failure**_

**Asuna's POV**

**~beep beep~**

The alarm kept beating inside my head making me slowly wake up to shut it up until I read the time – 7.30 – and I have 30 minutes to get ready because I just over slept. I don't know why but the games start at 8.30 am sharp, any team not present gets disqualified, quickly jumping out of the bed and dashing towards the bathroom I changed into my shorts and a red bikini top with yellow stars and wearing the games jacket zipped up half way just bellow my breasts. Walking quickly to the dinning table everyone was ready and started to leave, taking a quick scan of the table I picked up a cheese quesadilla swallowing it whole and drank a cup of orange juice in one big gulp, the bitter citrus flavor made me choke on it.

"here some water" Shanks offers handing me a cup of water which I took slowly, leveling my breathing and slowly eating an apple pie I nodded him thank you, "slept well" he asked and returning my thanks with a smile

"you mean overslept then yeah" I chuckled "what about you"

"did some thinking here and there, got a headache from it, and a few hours of rest helped ease the pain" he joked

"we should drink less for a while" I state "see things like this makes the team forget about me"

"they are waiting for you downstairs" he corrects

"anyway I'm saying that until this week passes we should drink less, just to be at the safe side" I tell him as we head out of the penthouse and towards the lobby, meeting with the rest of the team we headed to the arena

"see you there" Shanks waves at us

**~at the arena~**

all the teams were seated at their designated balconies waiting for the games to start, as I sat there and watched the crowd walking in and sitting in the stadium I noticed that a woman from Kaido's team _Uno _hadn't removed her eyes from me, the way her black eyes bored into my skin like daggers giving me the Goosebumps, glaring at her I shifted my attention towards my team mates who were deciding who to send first.

"I'll do it" Claus states, he was a muscular man of average height and tanned skin, he had messy brown hair and black eyes, his outfit consisted of dark brown shorts cut bellow the knee and collected half way up the shin and a white leopard patterned shirt loosely worn and folded at the elbow.

"shouldn't I go first, I mean they can never know my full capabilities" I ask

"No" he replied "remember captain told us to be cautious and right now we have to lay low, if you go out they will have an idea of our capabilities also we need you here to analyze their strengths and weaknesses" nodding I tell him to be careful and watch the other teams choosing their members, apparently the whitebeard pirates chose Ace from their team

"tsch….are they planning to steal it from the very start" I mutter looking at ace, turning around I see that Kaido's new team chose a kid around the age 12 or 13 while the usual team sent a man pretending to be prince charming.

* * *

**Third person POV**

once all the players have come down to the field they gathered in a big circle around the judge / host waiting for the games instructions, "the name of this competition is Circles, the rules are simple don't fall into the pools of water, if you do you are out" he said through a den den mushi as the ground began to shake and some shutter like circles appeared from the ground and pools of water appeared all over the field

"that's some mechanism" Asuna stated as she saw the field transform and the players scatter around

**~dong~**

the gong rang indicating the start of the competition and players started pushing each other into the pools, as 30 minutes elapsed since the start of the game the number of players was reduced to eight, after a brawl that lasted longer than he expected Ace managed to knock out two players leaving the Yonko teams to fight. Amazingly the little boy managed to make it through, he looked at ace and smiled "so you are the one called fire fist huh?" he asked

and ace being himself, laughed at the boy "hey kid this isn't a playground now return to your mommy or something, you don't want to get hurt"

enraged the boy glared at ace as a deadly aura surrounds him "you will regret this fire fist" he growled as he unleashed a wave of energy, back at the stands Asuna had her eyes wide open in shock looking at the boy who began to form water at the palm of his hand. "that boy" she muttered under her breath and focused her attention towards him

"so lets see which is stronger my water or your flames"

"its obvious my –"

"water gun" the boy yelled as he extended his arm forward and a large whirlpool of water hurled towards ace knocking him out, and pushing him strongly to the bottom of the pool, though it was almost 50cm (20") deep. Having a devil fruit he was a hammer in water, with his face bellow the water ace was drowning, if she wasn't focused on the boy Asuna would laugh, looking at her teammate; Claus took this change to get rid of Big Mam's member Tamago into the pool that ace was drowning in, thus pushing him back to the surface, grabbing the edge of the pool Ace took a deep breath and used every ounce of strength he had left to pull himself out, lying on the floor trying to get his breathing back to normal. The entire stadium began to laugh at his humiliation, Asuna who took her eyes away from the boy and saw ace was on the floor started laughing her ass off. Using a similar attack from earlier the boy knocked Claus out, then proceeded into attacking his fellow crew member thus ending the competition with Kaido ranking first and second, the red haired pirates 3rd, Big Mam 4th, the Whitebeard pirates 5th and so on. Without a single word ace sat in the corner burying his face in his knees, he was frustrated.

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

"day 2 is half way through with the competition part over we now move to the battle part" the commenter exclaimed through the den-den mushi causing the crowd to cheer "now for the match up's first up is whoa…whoa this is unexpected what's with those surprises since day one, our first match is between from team _cutro_ our lovely Asuna" the crowd began to cheer as the main event is the first battle of the games.

"me" I asked shocked, I looked at ace due to the fact that our fight will start right after his humiliation, but mostly because it will not be a fair fight and I will not defeat him the right way.

"versus Kalli from team _Uno_" the commenter states, a moment of silent hovered over the stadium before people began booing

"eh…" I managed to say, this time I was shocked to hear that I am fighting against someone else "what about Ace, I want to fight Ace" I began yelling seeing that my chance to murder him just slipped away, looking towards Ace with puffed cheeks I could see he was surprised but relieved at the same time

"that was sudden" Benn states as he lights a new cigarette

"I want to fight ace, my chance just slipped away" I told him in a depressed tone "I don't want to fight this woman, she gives me the chills"

"it has to be with the boy earlier that energy wave ticked you off didn't it"

"yeah that energy wave it's a concentrated form of that aura, I just cant seem to wrap my head around it" I stated and jumped from the balcony to the field much to the surprise of everyone, as I walked to the center I forced a smile on my face

"hi there, I'm Kalli nice to meet you Asuna-san" she said my name slowly in a deadly tone, Kalli is a black haired woman around my age if not maybe a little older, her face looked as if it was recently punched, she wore a black knee-high dark dress coat, which was adorned with four symmetrically placed light colored buttons on the chest and a light brown belt fastened around her waist carrying a saber in it, she wore black tights under her dress and dark brown knee-length boots, her hair was tied into a braid reaching her mid back.

"so you are in the same team as that boy" I asked calmly looking at the boy trying to show no signs of worry

"ahh you mean Cleave, he is my little brother" she chuckled "he is charming isn't he"

"I wouldn't say that he is charming" I replied removing my gaze from the boy and looking at Kalli "you two don't look alike"

"neither you or Shanks" she stated lowly so only I could hear her, I looked at her blankly and confused

"what are you talking about" I asked trying to hide my suspicions

"a good girl following in her parent's footsteps I see" she sighed "so you two aren't blood related" she asked, I opted not to reply and stayed silent "I could've sworn you two treat each other like family"

"so what about it, the crew is my family" I replied trying hardly not to snap at her, lucky for us no one could hear us speak and most of the people think we are having a friendly chat before our match getting to know each other, and being a good sport.

"if you two are related, you must be strong right" she smirks in an attempt to provoke me but to her luck I no longer care about what she says

"same goes for you" I replied trying to use her plan against her "your little brother what was his name… that's right Cleave was it" I stated in a provoking tone with my famous provoking smirk "he is really strong so you must be even stronger, no?"

"true Cleave is a genius, I am no match for him" she states looking at her brother, hearing her say that a breath of relief escaped my lips, "but I still am strong" she continues as she took notice of my expression "back then Cleave didn't use half of his power"

"lets have fun shall we" I asked smiling though a deadly aura was surrounding me, this girl has by far provoked me "though this isn't the kind of fun I hoped for today, but still I will enjoy this fight"

"yeah, why don't we have fun" in that instant it was the same aura from last night but this time it had more killing intent, gulping slowly I turned around and took a few steps away, it seems that also Kalli copied my movements as I sensed a distance between us.

"it seems that both women are getting along well and they are getting into their positions to start the fight" the commenter states. In several second the gong rang indicating the start of the fight, I started off by gathering an amount of black – white light in my right hand, curling it into a fist I extended my other arm forward and let my right fist hit my left palm, them drawing both hands to my right side the ball of light got bigger, once again I extended both hand forward sending lances of black light towards her, but what I didn't expect is for her to dodge my attacks.

"a God Slayer are you?" she asked surprising me and causing me to freeze in shock - my suspicions were right, in that instant she counter attacked as a sword flew by my side grazing my cheek, rubbing the blood from the cut by my thumb I looked at her trying to put all the pieces together "I'm a mage as well, my magic is re-quip" she stated changing her outfit into a revealing armor composed of metal breast plates, boyshorts with thigh length metal boots, arm guards and a cloth around the left side of her waist "speed counter armor enhances my speed"

"this is going to be interesting" I stated as I fired another round of attacks but she kept dodging or blocking them with different armors and shield. Destroying several of her shields and armors, stealing her weapons to fight against her almost 15 minutes have passed and we were half way through the match, yet there was no progress just wasting my energy

"tsch… it seems that I underestimated you" I tell her as I jumped to the end of the field, gathering energy around my mouth I send out a laser like vortex of light towards her but she changes her armor into a cat suit and a lance cutting my attack in half, sending the after shocks to the wall surrounding the field causing them to crack from the intense energy

"your Light Gods Howl is no match for my Holy Lance" she said in a dark tone, I was surprised as how did she know what was the name of my attack(s), it seems as if she did her research on me "but you see Asuna-san you are always like this, you must learn not to underestimate your opponent"

"I underestimate my opponents, what a load of bull" I stated with a hint of anger in my tone "I never underestimate anyone, specially those with killing intent towards me or my nakama's" I yelled gathering light around both of my hands and ready to jump at her, as I was about to I was suddenly in the middle of a dark purple dome, next to me was a illusion of some sort of me and Kalli fighting, looking at said woman I saw the little boy from earlier besides her

"relax this illusion is going to keep the match a draw for a while, it will stay until this conversation is over" he states calmly, I looked at him with a demanding look "if you're worried then don't know one can see us, in fact no one can tell that this is a illusion"

"so what do two mages want from me" I asked as calm as possible, crossing my hands over my chest and tapping my foot in a demanding way

"let us win, it's as simple as that" he replied in the most forward way ever "and not just this match I mean the games"

"go fuck yourself" I yelled at him angrily

"that I can't do" he says crossing an arm and resting his other elbow on it while touching his forehead by his index finger and shaking his head. "you see that's not an option it's an order" he states calmly "look around you those who are precious to you will die in instant". As he said that I turned around to see that there were multiple weapons around Shanks, Benn, Lucky Roo, Yasopp, Claus, Nel, Whitebeard, Marco, Ace and others who are important to me, looking closely I realized that those weapon were invisible.

"you bastard" I yelled as I instantly appeared in front of the boy and grabbing him from the collar of his shirt by one hand while the other was curled into a tight ball ready to punch him

"it seems that the little miss over here is quite rude don't you think Kalli" the boy smirks. "yeah quite indeed" she replied and I was able to hear her smirk, looking around I noticed that the positions of the weapons changed.

"just this match not the entire games" I told them loosening my hold on the boy "so what is that you want me to do"

"nothing in particular, just don't say a word and let yourself be tortured and humiliated for the next five minutes, then Kalli will land a swift attack and it will be over in an instant" he grins and adorns a psychotic expression "but remember if you show any signs of disobeying us, well you know what will happen don't you"

"you've got yourself a deal but remember a mage always keeps their words" I slowly released him from my grip and watched as he returned to the stands releasing his illusion on the crowd

* * *

**Ace's POV**

As I sat on the corner watching the match I felt something weird that it just sent the shivers down my spine, standing up I walked towards the railings to have a better view of the match, as I watched I saw surprised at how the evenly drawn battle was now a one sided assault with Kalli overwhelming Asuna. Something doesn't sit right how could Asuna be overwhelmed like that, clenching to the railings trying to hold my anger "what the hell Asuna, why don't you fight back" I yelled at her, as she heard my voice she turned around and gave me a 'just try to understand' look, it was as if she was angry and wanted to cry.

"something doesn't sit right" Marco states studying the match carefully "it's I don't know, she isn't like she was at the start of the match"

"probably that feeling I felt earlier" I replied "she began acting weird after I had that weird feeling as if something sharp is brushing my skin, could it be connected to this" I asked turning my gaze to Marco

"you felt it too" Jozu joins the conversation "it was like something cold"

"yeah" Marco replies and returns to watching the match propelling his elbow on it and resting his chin on his hands "and probably it links with this"

as we talked a sudden big flash of light appeared followed by an explosion, catching our attention we watched as the smoke and dust was cleared, what we saw was something I didn't expect I though it was Asuna's attack that caused the explosion but it was the opposite, she was lying on the floor with a few bruises and cuts, her hair covering her face, looking at her carefully I realized that she was using her hair to hide her tears

"down, the winner tea _Uno's _Kalli" the judge states through a den-den mushi, at first the entire stadium froze in shock but then they began cheering and chanting Kalli's name

"oh you must have high endurance to be alive after that attack level, but still if you did you should at least be unconscious" Kalli laughed as she noticed Asuna was still conscious "that's right those tears are the perfect example"

"that was dirty" whitebeard states as he walked towards the team by the balcony "just plain old dirty tricks that Kaido"

"so what do you think about it pops" I asked as I know that he knew something about what happened

"I don't think I know, just look at her that's not the Asuna we know, she is hurt from the inside but to get to a girl like her I wonder what kind of trick did they use" turning I saw Asuna stand up and walk towards the gate to the balconies, as she went to her team I noticed how desperately she was trying to hide her face.

"match 1 is over and our second match is between Marco from team _Cinco_ vs. team _Quince's _Kies Morgan" the commenter states. As Marco walked down the stairs towards the field I leaned on the railings and watched, apparently Marco wanted to get over it quickly so he ended the match in the first five minutes, it was the same for the rest of the day nothing interesting at all.

**~at some bar~**

after the games we headed to a bar by the pier, we drank and ate and laughed, "to Ace's and Marco's victory, Kanpai" Whitebeard states as he lifts his large bottle of sake in the air, "Kanpai" the rest of the crew lift their mugs bumping them together

"but I lost" I corrected them looking at the floor in shame

"you got 5th place and that's enough as long as you are safe" Whitebeard states, as he did it showed that I needed to get stronger and find a way to counter my weaknesses, I sat there enjoying the party for a while before I headed towards the door, as I did I tried to avoid any eye contact.

"where are you going to Ace?" Jozu asks as he noticed me heading towards the door

"no where just going to take a stroll for fresh air and do some thinking" I replied smiling as I pushed the door open

"then maybe later I will come with Marco and accompany you" he says looking at the blonde haired phoenix

"I'll be waiting for you" I tell him as I left the bar and walked to some random direction not knowing where I am going to end up.


	7. awkward moment

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

_**Chapter 6 : awkward moment**_

**Ace's POV**

I wandered around town for a while now and somehow I ended up at the cliffs, their landscape never seize to amaze me, a green cheery side at one end and deadly at the other, however the scenery after it was breath taking, how the sky was in orange flames with red vines and the sea reflecting it was in a lighter shade, I walked towards the edge as the breeze collided with my face to have a better view of the sunset. As I walked towards the edge did I spot a figure leaned across a huge rock, burying it's face in it's knees, taking a closer look I realized it was none other than Asuna in an extremely depressed state, I approached her quietly.

"Is it okay if I sit here" I ask pointing towards the edge, she lifted her head up slightly showing her dull eyes. She was really messed up with a few bandages and plasters, her hair in a messy loose ponytail and was still in her outfit from the games, her red puffy eyes filled with pain and sorrow show signs of shed tears.

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

"Is it okay if I sit here" a voice asks from behind me, I lift my head to see that it was Ace, he also wasn't in a good state either, specially those dark cold eyes.

"If you are here to tease me then get lost" I replied meanly and wiped my tears. He sighs and raises his hands in the air as he walked past me, I watched as he sat at the edge letting one leg dangle while the other was brought up to his chest hugging it and resting his chin on it.

"It hurts doesn't it?" He asks trying to start a conversation

"And what do you know about it" I replied and did my best to avoid it, I knew very well that things will end badly if we started a conversation discussing what happened earlier.

"well for me I certainly hate it, at that moment it was as if all my pride was taken away from me"

"losing a battle and get pitted by your opponent is far worse than death, having every ounce of pride shattered, yeah it sucks" I stated and looked at him as a small smile etched my face "don't you find it funny that us two good humiliated in public right after each other when we..."

"Right, first me then you" he chuckled "why is it us two only, nobody got humiliated as bad as us, its like fate wanted to pay us back"

"But they didn't humiliate you as much as they did to me"

"So, what trick did they use" he asks. I looked at him shock visible on my face, just how did he knew that they cheated.

"What are you talking about" I replied as I pretended to not know what he was talking about, I didn't want my pride to be shattered anymore than it already is.

"Don't try defending them, I simply asked what trick did they use, that's all" he growled seriousness evident in his tone

"How did you know, wait what do you know" I asked with a hint of worry and concern in my voice

"Not much just that there was a while where me, Marco, Jozu and pops felt something sour and foul in the air then after that you were acting sort of weird, and when I yelled at you back then your eyes were different, it was as if you were saying 'I cant why don't you understand' or something like that" he kept his gaze fixed at the horizon. "It wasn't like you at all"

"But still I lost"

"No they cheated" he confirms his reply by shaking his head lightly "just what did they say"

"I guess there is no point in hiding it"

"of course there isn't"

"well they pointed weapons at Shanks, Benn, Yasopp, Roo, Whitebeard, Marco, you, and other people who are important to me" I buried my head in between my knees deeper than before, hiding the teardrop that ran down my cheek "they threatened to kill you guys if I didn't listen to them"

"what weapons" he asks turning around facing me confused as he didn't see any weapons and didn't get what I was saying

"they were invisible, no they were concealed to be precise" I wiped the tears away from my face

"concealed with what" for the first time in his life Ace seems to be interested in a conversation not involving him or food or about fighting.

"that weird aura I talked about before was magic, they are mages as well that little boy and woman, the entire team is"

"WHAT…that shrimp is a mage" ace exclaims, his mouth wide open "no wonder he was able to create such whirlpool" he face palms himself, and I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

"well he did make a fool out of you" I joked "and you ignore everything else I said and focused on the fact that shrimpy is a mage"

* * *

**Ace's POV**

I was shocked to hear that the shrimp that made a fool out of me was actually a mage, but then something caught my attention, it was Asuna laughing her heart out because of something stupid I did. Never in my entire laugh did I hear her laughing in such manner, it only meant that she was cheering up, for the first time did we have a nice and enjoyable conversation without fighting each other, upon that though I couldn't help but laugh as well.

"ahhh….you should've seen your face" she spoke in attempt to stop laughing.

"I still cant believe it that shrimp" I shifted my attention towards her and meeting her gaze

"according to that Kalli, that shrimp is way stronger than her" she states "but I thought the older brother or sister is always the strongest, well whatever they are freaks"

"well that is the logic, but as you said they are freaks" I laughed at her reply. Sitting there we talked about many things and laughed about them, I was happy to see Asuna cheer up, we didn't feel the time pass quickly as I saw Marco and Jozu walking towards us, "I'm here you guys" I waved at them, eyeing each other the duo laughed in their way.

"guess I will take my leave and join my buddies in their drinking" Asuna states as she stands up dusting herself and heads towards the town no longer depressed

"no no stay we don't want to interrupt your little date" Marco jokes, causing Asuna to turn crimson red like Shanks's hair and try to hide it but fails.

"w-we...we're n-n-not on a date" she snaps at them "we were discussing what happened today and… that's it nothing happened"

Marco and Jozu exchanged looks again before looking at me then to Asuna "so laughing together at a cliff while the sun is setting which is a romantic scene isn't called a date is it?" Marco teased, causing Asuna to once again blush but into an even darker, shade of red

Having enough of his teasing, I clenched my fist and summoned some flames to my hand "Marco" I growled as I stood up and was about to attack, however my narcolepsy chose to take action and without realizing my foot slipped and I fell of the cliff and into the ocean.

"Ace" Asuna tilted her head in confusion of what just happened.

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

I watched as Ace growled at the two and summoned flames to his hands but then he suddenly fell into the ocean, "Ace" was all I could mutter, it took me a while to notice what had just happened.

"ACEE" I heard Marco and Jozu yell, looking at them I saw that they were yelling at him as they leaned on the edge trying no to fall in as well.

"Ace just fell into the sea" I asked more like muttered

"actually he fell asleep then slipped into the ocean" Marco corrected

"and he is a devil fruit user"

"he is drowning" they both yelled in unison at my stupidity, finally it sunk in and I just figured what just happened.

Without giving any second thought's about it I jumped after him "Marco give me some light and Jozu find me the closest shore" I ordered as I was falling into the water. As soon as I hit the water I raised back to the surface and shivered from the water, it was freezing like hell. Taking a deep breath as Marco transformed into his phoenix form hovering above the surface thus providing me with the necessary light I dove back into the water, having a better sight thanks to Marco I spotted Ace drowning further and further by each second. '_dude I'm helping you here will you stop drowning_' I thought as I quickly grabbed his wrist before flinging his arm over my shoulder holding it tightly and wrapping my other hand around his waist, ignoring the weight and deepness I made my way back to the surface. As soon as my head was out of the water I gasped for air madly before making my way to the shore, which according to Jozu was a five minute swim. Dragging his body across the beach while Marco released Jozu onto the sand before returning to his human form, once we were a good distance from the water I punched Ace in the gut hardly, that would make a person suffocate and wither in pain, suddenly he gave a reaction that I didn't expect as he coughed and spat water from his mouth like a fountain

* * *

**Ace's POV**

It was dark and I couldn't move an inch, not even lifting a finger when I felt something holding me tightly, suddenly I felt something hitting me real hard in my gut, I coughed up and spat water as I woke up and laid in agony '_what the hell was that?_' I thought as I turned around only to see a wet, exhausted and angry Asuna sitting on her knees and panting next to me, my eyes widened as I realized that she saved me when I was drowning, "Asuna…I-I" I wasn't able to muster a word.

"Agh…save the excuses for later blockhead" she growls as she punched my shoulder before running away, just when I was starting to get to her a stupid and silly mistake led her to getting this much pissed

"I'm sorry I didn't −" I yelled at her but couldn't as cut me off

"whatever, what happened, happened" she yelled back and began to fade away.

"mean it" I whispered to myself as I looked at the ground, '_that didn't go smooth, I just had to fall asleep and ruin the whole thing_' I thought as I looked at Marco and Jozu laughing their asses off, angry I glared at them.

"Oi man don't scare us like that" Marco breathed from the laughing and took a few steps backwards and threw his hands up in the air "and I'm sorry that you missed your chance with her, she was really pissed and if you don't mind we will try our chance tomorrow"

"shut up" I yelled as I charged towards him trying to hit him but he kept dodging my attacks or running away, finding an opening I tackled him causing him to lose his balance and took this chance to strike a punch at his face though it wasn't quite strong.

"stop it both of you" Jozu growled as he tried to pull us apart by lifting me up from my hat and pushing Marco away from me

"what now, Jozu" I growled at him as I tried to escape his hold on me

"Ace I get you are pissed but now isn't the time for it, Asuna just saved your life and whether you like it or not you have to apologize and thank her properly" I loosened my clutch on my hands and looked at the ground, he was right after she saved my life I just stared at her stupidly and didn't say a word

"well I better go and see what I can do to repay my debt, I owe her my life" I smiled and hurried to the direction she ran off to.

I ran through the streets and alleys searching for Asuna, walking on top of a roof top I spotted what I thought was a blob of gold, looking down at the alley she went through I saw her walking behind her a mess of thugs beaten up an inch from their lives, ignoring them I jumped in front of her landing swiftly on the ground, looking at me she tried to turn around and leave but I grabbed her wrist and caused her to bump into me. It was then that I realized that I was dry thanks to my abnormal body temperature, unlike Asuna who was soaking wet and she looked like she was about to freeze to death.

"wait" I asked in a soft voice trying to say that I'm not here to argue with her, pulling her closer to me so she wont run away and giving her my warmth, never were we both this close in proximity under no fighting circumstances

"what do you want now" she growled avoiding my eyes and swallowing her tears back

"I want to apologize properly that's all"

"apologize? you scared the hell out of me you know, what if you drowned" she fretted "and then you wake up as if nothing happened, and you still want to apologize" for some weird reason I was glad to know she was worried about me and couldn't help but smile

"but I didn't drown did I, I'm still alive thanks to you" I state as I wipe a tear that slid down her cheek with my thumb "is there anyway I can make it up to you, anything so you can forgive me"

"I don't know" a small smile crossed her face as she looked at me still avoiding my eyes

"how about a drink, my tab" I offered

"it'd be great but I'm afraid that it's going to have to wait for later, I need to get dry quickly or I'll get sick" she replied before passing by me and headed towards the hotel "but that doesn't mean I have forgiven you"

"so it's a deal then, whenever you like but it's not a date" I wave at her goodbye until an idea popped inside my head "ohh wait Asuna, use this" I hurried towards her direction with a flame in my hand slowly extending towards my arm "use this to dry off"

"convenient, I appreciate it Mr. Drying Machine so don't burn me" she teased as she exposed her clothes to the fire, I couldn't help but chuckle as I helped her dry up before heading back to her hotel, smiling with unknown satisfaction I headed back to my own hotel and get some rest

**~at the hotel~**

I closed the door quietly and made my way slowly to the kitchen, opening the fridge I grabbed a meat loaf and turned around, "so how did it go" Marco asks as he popped in front of my face startling me

"well she isn't pissed anymore" I replied with confidence and pride as I started to cook the meat quickly with my abilities and started eating it, I sat on the dinning table and saw Whitebeard along with Jozu emerging from the darkness, there was a smile on the old man's face

"did you and Asuna have fun today" Jozu teases, causing me to choke on my meat loaf and my face turns into a shade of tomato red.

"it's alright my son, love who ever you want nobody can say a thing about your personal choice" Whitebeard smirks as he places his cup of sake on the table

"I-I-I there is nothing between us, I do not love her" I stammered and raised a hand in the air before standing up "I'm going to bed, this conversation is over". I laid down on the bed and kept thinking of what happened today and trying to connect some things together '_love huh? Not in a million years would I fall for her_' I thought as I kept recalling her words and slowly drifting to sleep in the process

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

The second I set foot in the hotel I was able to smell the alcohol stink, I ignored my drunken crewmates and headed towards the penthouse, I took a quick shower to remove the stench from me and changed into my pajamas − a pair of horizontally stripped black and white calf length pants and a black shirt with a light purple star in the middle and a white SUPER over it − I headed over to the counter to grab a cup of water when I saw Nel sitting and a mug in front of her

"want some hot chocolate" she offers, I nodded to her and handed her a mug to fill it, "so what did you do today, missed the meeting" she asks as she poured some chocolate into it

"nothing really, just a stroll to cheer up" I replied as I took a sip of my drink and taking a seat in front of her, the warmth of it going down my throat was just so refreshing

"a stroll" she raised an eyebrow suspiciously "with who did you go with"

"um…I was alone at first but then Marco, Jozu and Ac−" I wasn't able to continue what I was saying as Nel cut me off, "with Ace?" she exclaimed

"yeah Ace joined us as well, is there something wrong with that" I asked her slightly disturbed with her reaction

"what kind of stroll was that, a wrestling one" she joked "or see who could destroy town and get the team disqualified"

"Like any other we discussed the games and some other things"

"is that so" she asks as she stands up and leans towards me "because you smell awfully like something else" she hummed as she came up behind me "yup you smell like spicy smoky peppermint with a hint of dust and salt"

"ohh that… it's when Ace fell in the sea and I ended up saving him" she lifted an eyebrow at my statement thinking I'm lying "is that soo" she smirks, sighing and cursing inwardly I looked at her "I did it because Marco and Jozu asked me"

"so by saving Mr. Ace from drowning, his spicy smoky hot scent rubbed off on you and it is stronger than Marco's peppermint and Jozu's coal dust along with the salty smell of the sea, huh?" she asked

"Actually he offered me a dry cleaning that's when it rubbed on me" I noticed the shocked expression in her face and guessed the dirty thoughts going in her mind "oh c'mon it's not what you think, he created a fire for me to dry with, you and your devil fruit ability what idiot would eat the _inu-inu no mi_"

"I would the uses of the _Inu-Inu no mi model: German Shepherd _are handful, I can track people down, I have higher instinctual intelligence, I can learn tasks quickly and in my hybrid and full transformation I have higher hearing" she states as she took a sip of her hot chocolate "just a piece of warning don't get attached to them, someday they will backstab you, specially Ace"

"like hell would I get attached to Ace" I argued "like I said nothing happened, I swear that nothing happened"

"just don't come crying when something happens, and don't say that I didn't warn you" she sat down on the chair again, I smile at her before heading to our room, "you're staying up late?" I asked her, she looked at me and nodded, shrugging I continued to the room.

I kept staring at the ceiling wondering what she meant by getting too attached, but what bugged be is how did she know that Ace smelt like crispy spicy smoky chili powder with a tint of burning ash, though she barely spent time with him, something seemed off about it '_what the hell am I thinking, why do I know his scent, probably because I used to spend a lot of time around him that I just caught it, ugh… I hate how my magic gives me superhuman sense of smell, it's even stronger than the Nel's dog nose_' I though and turned around pulling the blankets to cover my face.

'_Maybe I should listen to Shanks and give him a second chance, he even went as far to treat me just so I can accept his apology_'. Laying on the bed I kept worked up at the fact that Nel cared about me being with Ace and ignore the fact that Marco and Jozu were there as well, I just couldn't help but wonder what is going on that mind of hers, it just pissed me off. '_I shouldn't get worked up for something as stupid as that_' I let out a breath that I didn't know was there '_if she loves him then I don't care, it doesn't involve me no matter who gets hurt_' turning around I buried my face into the pillow and slowly drifted to sleep.


	8. Date

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Date**

I woke up again at the beeping of the alarm, and quickly got ready but unlike yesterday I had woken up on time and had my time to eat my breakfast. I filled my plate with mashed potato and French toast, I also had a bowl of fruit salad, it tasted sweet, sugary and juicy as the citrus of the papaya filled my mouth, while the mashed potato tasted salty, today I drank a decaf cappuccino to boost up my energy. Once I finished I saw Shanks approaching us scratching his head, judging from his expression I knew he wanted say something, and I wouldn't like it.

"Hey Asuna" he asks waving his hands in front of my face, however my mind was wondering off somewhere else about his words concerning Ace and what happened last night between us.

"Oh sorry" I replied massaging my temples "daydreaming, not really wise" I commented sarcastically in attempt to snap out of my dream.

"Duh!" He patted my shoulder and grabbed my cappuccino taking a drink from it, apparently I'm the only one who ordered it, and the others had juice, milk or sake

"so is there something you want to say" I asked curiously "and hey my cappuccino"

"okay just a sec" he smirks taking another sip before giving it back "guys gather I need to tell you something"

"is everything alright" Benn asks as everyone starts to gather.

"yes and no I have bad news"

"what is it now" I sighed

"oh no, it's just that at the fifth day there will be a ball and all the team members must attend, it's a must…. you are either to chose a date from any competitors or ask for approval of anyone else"

"oh great just when I was hoping to watch the comet of trial, you know the one that appears every 60 years" I complained

"the ball is made in honor for the comet, that's what I was been told" he replied

"oh please Asuna, this may be your chance to finally fall in love" Nel states as she heads towards the door giving me an obnoxious look.

"for the billionth time, I don't give a shit" I replied raising my voice, even though she is my crew mate she thinks she is better than me just because she had joined the crew before I did.

"Well good luck to you all today and good look in finding your dates, that's all you're dismissed" Shanks stated. On my way out I kept muttering stuff like 'bitch', 'asshole', 'whore', unfortunately Shanks has a pesky habit of overhearing using his Haki, "language Asuna, I will have to ground you if you keep on like that, she is your team mate" he ordered

"sorry" I rolled my eyes.

"watch that attitude young girl" he uses his threatening voice

"sorry again" I apologized and dashed out of the hotel, I kept walking in a fast pace until I realized Claus was running after me. "Asuna, please wait" he yelled while closing up the distance between us

"oh, what's the matter Claus" I asked as I stopped and waited for him

"can we walk together"

"well...yeah sure why not" I shrugged and continued walking towards the arena, it was quite an awkward walk, neither of said a word and I desperately wanted to break the silence but didn't know how.

"so…Asuna I was wondering if you will accompany me to the ball" he asks breaking the silence, it was all of a sudden and I couldn't reply

"I-I-I'm afraid I have to turn you on that offer, sorry" I apologized as I bowed down out of respect

"I thought so I" he stated with a bit of disappointment, standing in front of him and placing my hands on his shoulder I cut him off.

"this may sound weird coming from me but the problem isn't in you it's in me, you deserve someone better now go and look for that Cinderella" I stated shaking him back and forth quickly before letting once I saw his dizzy expression and feared that he would throw up whatever he ate.

"thanks I feel a lot better now, I guess" he was cut off when his eyes turned into thumping hearts at a woman who just passed by.

"there is your Cinderella" I smiled as I pushed him towards her "now go"

"thanks, bye" he yelled as he ran off to her direction, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he kept making a fool of himself.

"so you even declined Claus and then gave him advice you really are weird" Nel stated approaching me from behind, and causing me to jump in the process

"and why do you care, I don't need a date to go to some stupid ball" I replied

"well I'm not the one who will look bad" she stated "besides I'm telling you this for your benefit"

"my benefit, you have been acting weird ever since last night when I came back"

"I just don't want you to warm up to those kind of people" she replied in a pissed tone "and I am not acting weird"

"why not" I asked "and what kind of people"

"I meant playboys they are the worst type of guys" she replied having almost calmed down

"if I wanted a boyfriend I wouldn't go after playboys, you know every girl likes a different type of guy, and I pretty much have an idea of what I want in a guy"

"is that so" she raises and eyebrow "you are saying you can get a boyfriend"

"you wanna bet"

"fine, if you come up with a boyfriend by the end of the ball I will be your personal servant for a month, and if you fail"

"I'll do whatever you tell me for half a year"

"agreed"

"spit shake" I ask as I spat on my palm

"geeez act like a lady" she complained, and I raised an eyebrow. "but fine" she spat into her hand and shook mine, taking her hand away and scanning the area, she stared at a person trying hardly not to drool on the floor.

"ACEEE" she yells as she runs towards him pushing me out of the way, and pretends to trip causing him to fall over with her on the top.

"hey Nel, you seem a bit too happy" he asks with a slight confusion "no you look over excited what is it about"

"you heard about the upcoming ball didn't you" she says as she traces her finger across his body up and down and flirting with him, causing him to blush slightly

"yeah what about it" he said trying to stop her from playing with his body

"well I was thinking if you can accompany me, you're the only person I can count on" she says while slowly closing the gap between them.

"I-I guess so" he hesitated, causing Nel to howl in happiness and kissed him on the cheek before running off "see you at eight then". Now I was officially pissed, flirting with each other in public was one thing, but doing so in front of me is another, and she actually pinned him on the floor making it look like an accident, just to sit on top of him and drool.

"turn a blind eye" I told myself as I walked away

"a blind eye on what" a voice asks startling me

"Huh….Ace what are you talking about" I gasped as I placed a hand over my chest

"never mind…so are you excited about this ball as much as Nel" now that he mentioned her, I got even more pissed

"NO, why?" I asked trying to control my temper

"well I was just going to tell you that I'll be her date" he states and leaves raising a hand in the air saying later

"hope you have a nice time" I said under my breath trying my best to watch my language. Walking for a while I spotted Marco walking and as usual no care whatsoever, taking it as my chance I dashed and tackled him. He fell hardly on his face "sorry" I apologized while covering an eye imagining how painful it could be and the other reaching out to him

"apology accepted" he took my hand and I helped him up back on his feet "well it's me who has to apologize for what I did yesterday""

"no it was nothing and I don't mind it was sort of a misunderstanding" I shook my head

"so what brings you today" he asked

"I need a favor" I told him quickly in a straightforward way

"not what I had in mind and wow that was so straight forward" he stated "so what is it that you want"

"can you be my date for the ball, I want to prove Nel that she is half wrong and that I can get a date"

"why not ask Ace" he asked, placing a hand on my hip I raised an eyebrow "he is around your age and good looking"

"I don't want and he is already going out with someone"

"so you want me to be like a fake date just so you can piss Ace off " he raises an eyebrow just like how I did "and how do you know he is going out with someone"

"no I want to piss Nel off and she asked him in front of me" I corrected him

"and what is it in for me" he asked

"I'll think about it later"

"have it your way" he grinned "at least you saved me all the trouble of looking for a date"

"so we are killing two birds with one stone, I think that's the phrase" I chuckled

"you're a sly, sharp evil woman you know that" he teases

"I take that as a complement" I smiled and turned around, as I did so I spotted Nel watching from the corner and Ace from another.

"Asuna" Marco called, turning around he saw the smirk on my face, walking closer he wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned forward kissing my cheek. "Is this good enough" he whispered in my ear as I wrapped my hands around his neck as if we were hugging.

"Cant ask for more" I told him as I released my hold and headed back to the arena, on my way I saw a pissed Nel and an angry Ace '_that should do the trick_' I thought as I looked back at Marco, seeing my face he grinned and winked at me causing me to blush.

* * *

**Ace's POV**

I was worried about Asuna seeing how angry she was in the morning when I yet didn't do something to annoy her, deciding to spy on her for a while until I get the bottom of it, I saw her approach Marco and tackle him, helping him up they chatted together and then she began laughing '_I was worried about nothing, maybe she isn't a morning person that's why_' I thought, just as I was about to turn around I saw something unbelievable, Marco just kissed Asuna and she hugged him while he whispered something into her ear, also she told him something before blushing. Clenching my fists tightly I glared at their backs '_yesterday and today that bastard Marco, I cant believe he and Asuna are a thing, of all people he chose Asuna, he is dead meat_' I thought '_calm down Ace, he was flirting with her, it's not a big deal not like I would see her the whole time_' I told myself as I took a deep breath, trying to calm down and relax.

"Something wrong Ace" Nel asks as she placed a hand on my shoulder from behind, in a worried way.

"No everything is alright, just fine" I reassured her and pushed her hand away

Leaning on the wall of our balcony I waited for the other teams to arrive, my hands folded and legs crossed, my hat covering my features, "yo, Ace" Marco greeted as he walked in and headed towards me.

"Tsch" I replied meanly and turned my head to the other side, I yet haven't recovered from what I saw earlier.

"What's wrong man, you look angry —yoi" he stated with a worried expression though it barely showed, shaking my head I looked back at the other direction, "if it's about last night then I'm sorry"

"It isn't about last night, I couldn't care less" I replied

"Then, if it isn't last night, and you had a good sleep what could possibly get you this angry in the morning"

"I don't know why, but I'm pissed at Asuna" I sighed in defeat "damn I hate her"

"What did she do" Marco sighed confused of this talk

"When I saw her today she was a bit I don't know pissed, so I approached her and asked her about the ball, then she got all mad and yelled at me" I explained "after she left I saw you two together laughing, and when you kissed her she was happy" I muttered the last part

"Oh is this what it's about" he raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk

"I don't know, it's just ugh... After everything she just spat in my face and it pissed me off" I growled, I didn't know why but there was this feeling of anger in my stomach.

"So who are you going with to that ball" he suddenly asked out of nowhere

"Ugh… Nel she asked and I couldn't refuse"

"Oh is that so, when I bumped into Asuna I asked her and she said yes"

"WHAT" I yelled in anger and astonishment "I can't believe you Marco I'm your friend how could you do this to me"

Patting my shoulder he smirked "that's why she loves me and not you bro" he teases and walks towards Jozu, I couldn't believe what he just said and tried my best to hold in my anger. Once everyone had arrived the competition part began and Marco headed from our team to avoid unnecessary quarrels, from Asuna's team I saw Nel, and from team _Uno _a middle-aged man with brown hair and several scars on the right side of his face.

"Good luck Marco and Nel" Asuna cheered, said man turned around and sent her a flying kiss and winks at her, even though we were in the middle of a competition they were flirting so casually and I couldn't stand it.

"Nel win this thing" I cheered for no reason I just did, smiling she turned to the other side and flipped her hair over her shoulder looking at Asuna with the corner of her eye, trailing it I saw Asuna enraged and glared at Nel, but why?


	9. trivia quiz

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

**Chapter 8: trivia quiz**

**Asuna's POV**

I cheered Marco as he went into the field in hopes of provoking two people - Nel and Ace - well apparently it succeeded because Ace did the same for Nel, but in the end I was the one provoked as she flung her hair over her shoulder and gave one of her bitchy looks, and I couldn't help but glare at her.

"Asuna can I ask you a question" Claus asks, turning around I looked at him "why are you cheering Marco he is from another team"

"Provoking Nel" I replied

"Okay now I see" he chuckled and looked at me "but why"

"Nel and I made a bet and Marco there is helping me" I explained

"If I may ask what could that bet be, that he is helping you rather than you coming to us" Benn asks as he leaned onto the railings next to me

"Well we made a bet to prove that I can get a boyfriend" I stated, all four men looked at me with wide eyes and shocked expressions

"And you chose Marco" Benn asks confused "he is way and I mean way too old for you"

"No, no, no you idiots" I fell into a fit of laughter's, clutching my sides hardly "he is part of my pl...hahaha...annn"

"Now that makes sense" Benn sighed as he got rid of his disgusted look on his face

"There is till more to you than meets the eye, after spending three years with you I still find you hard to get and read" Claus chuckled "so who is it you have set your eyes on"

"Honestly, I have no idea" the way I replied made me look like a dumb blonde, and once again my four companions face palmed themselves

"I have nothing to say" Lucky Roo commented as he took another bite of his meat stick and started munching on it "but whoever that guy is he is lucky"

"Why"

"To have someone as great, strong, caring and loving as you by his side, no man can ask for more" Lucky replied, making me blush by his pep talk

"You think so" I asked trying to hide my blush, and was playing with the locks framing my face

"We all think so" Benn stated as he pulled me into a fatherly type of hug "and anyone who tries to steal that smile away will pay"

"Why is it that if I was raised in the ship I would call you dad not that blockhead" I asked Benn

"Well I am the responsible one but no one will ever love and care about you as much as the captain" he stated, pulling away I looked at him with a smile before turning my gaze towards the arena "thanks guys, you boosted my confidence" leaning on the railings I looked at the field "it's about to start"

"Ladies and gentlemen, Pirates from all around I present to you _MIND_" the commenter announced "a game where your mind is tested seeing how smart and strong willed you are to survive the New World, now kindly if the judge may explain the rules"

"Well the rules are simple, each player will be presented a screen, a set of questions about the Grand Line and the seas will be asked, you have 30 minutes to answer about roughly 500 questions correctly" the judge explained as the arena's mechanism opened gates from the ground with screens like a large computing system.

"In other words it's like a trivia game" Nel asks cutting the judge off

"Yes but there is one important rule" he adds "if you are caught cheating you will fall into this" as he said so the ground under each screen turned into glass and beneath that was a hole with 3-5 alligators, "as you can see, they each weigh 600kg and reach up to 6 meters long, those are northern alligators also known for their speed and brute force"

"Yeah it's obvious by now" Marco points at two alligators fighting each other

"Please take your positions and wait for the bell" the judge continues ignoring Marco's statement, all of the competitors took their stances in front of each screen, and a minute later the bell rang indicating the start of their 30 minutes. Both Marco and Nel flew through the quiz while others had a difficult time, and so 20 minutes passed without any cheats, by the looks of it both Nel and Marco were tied and I had to presume they were in the 400's

~bringgg~

There was the beep ending the competition, and the players returned to their teams waiting for the results to come out. Nel approached us exhausted, it was as if she hadn't slept for days, as soon as she reached us she sat on the floor and leaned on the wall, her hand on her forehead. "ice I need something to ease this headache" she muttered

"So how was it" Claus asked ignoring her order

"Like hell" she snarled

"Calm down, 500 questions in 30 minutes is practically impossible" I stated, tossing her an ice pack, catching it she places it over her head.

"No the first few were easy as pie but as I progressed further they became more difficult I ended up making and guessing answers" she went on and on "who the hell would know that if a octopus fishwoman and a shark fishman come together they would have a mermaid daughter"

"Apparently if their ancestor was a mermaid or man" I replied, Nel lifted her head and glared at me "ughhh…this is a big screw up" she growled

"May I have your attention please" the commenter exclaims as he opens the envelope with the result "in first place we have a draw between team _Quatro _& team _Cinco_, second team _Dos_, third _Neuve_, fourth team _Uno_, fifth team _Dose_…" and so on he read the list until the very end "with this the highest score is 379 and the lowest is 16"

"379 that's great Nel" Claus boasts

"Damn 16 who is that idiot" I teased, Nel couldn't help but chuckle at me

"It might be you" she teases back

"Hey I would at least be in the 80's" I replied

"No if it was you I would say at least 200" she re-states "no you will get a full mark"

"Now you are making me sound like a geek"

"Don't get full of yourself, you are still a dumb blonde" she stated as she punched my shoulder in a friendly way

"Am not" I argued as I looked at her, rage filling inside of me "I just tend to space out"

And so the first half of the day had finished, and the time to start the second half, 10 matches and the day will be over, the first 5 weren't that much, they were boring as hell and barely lasted 15 minutes. Finally it was our turn against some nobodies, Benn yawned as he walked towards the field, taking inhales of his cigarette, his opponent was an old man in his forties with an old school hair style, his muscles gave off this look that meant power. The gong rang indicating the start of the match, and the old man sprinted towards Benn pulling out his sword and swinging it randomly, his movements were hasty and easy to read. Benn made no efforts to dodge him, and in an instant he pulled his pistol using it as a club, hitting the man in the back of his neck, causing him to collapse on the floor, the whole battle didn't even last two minutes.

"The winner is Benn Beckman from team _Quatro_" the judge exclaims.

"That was fast and simple" I voiced my opinion

"His opponent was a nobody" Yasopp stated "I can take him on and win in the same manner as Benn"

"Yasopp, you are one of the strongest in our crew so duh"

"You do have a point, there is a reason why I'm in this team" he replied

"Well, that was a waste of my precious time" Benn exhaled his smoke as he entered into our balcony, "at least it redeemed miss-I'm-so-weak's loss" Nel teased

"Shut up" I growled and glared at her before walking to the other side '_it's not like I wanted to loose_"

"Girls don't fight" Claus interrupted just as Nel was about to comeback with some insults, "we're not" we both yelled in unison, looking at each other we broke into laughter

It was finally the last match of the day, and was between Jozu and some really skinny guy, once the gong rang the man backed away drawing his sword while Jozu transformed his right arm into diamond, the tension rose as the man stared at Jozu, suddenly he let out a battle cry and started charging, "that was a wrong move" Jozu stated as he punched the man sending him flying several meters away.

"So much for a match" Vista yawned

"As expected from Jozu" Izo added "at least it was an interesting match"

"I feel sorry for the skinny guy, hope he doesn't have any broken bones" Marco joked, Ace chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

the third day has ended with Kaido's teams ranked first and sixth, while whitebeard's second and our team third, big mam's fourth. I looked around to see whitebeard's team celebrating their victory as they are leaving the arena, shortly our team did the same seeing who our captain is.

"so we will meet up at the bar" Claus asked as he ran off leaving the crew behind.

"yeah" Benn answers back, turning around I gave Benn a look that meant disapproval "but I was hoping to go to the arcade and have fun" I whined

"You can go off wherever you want and do as you please but first you will have to attend the meeting" he ordered as he lit another cigarette, sighing because it is impossible to argue with Benn I gave in "fine"


	10. Arcade

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE – Rewritten Version**

* * *

**Chapter 9: arcade**

**Ace's POV**

I was drinking, joking and laughing about many things with the crew and the red haired pirates, from the corner I saw Shanks laughing with Ōyaji. Being relaxed and laid back every once in a while felt great, I didn't stress about capturing Blackbeard, I only thought of enjoying the moment to it's fullest, seeing Claus alone I approached him "so does this count as later" I asked

"Follow me, I'll tell you" he replied and gestured me to follow him to the back door, once we were away from the crowd I sat on the floor and my attention was aimed at what he was going to answer me.

"So what is it with Asuna, she is really angry today and is going out with Marco" I asked my long awaited question

Taking a deep breath Claus looked at me and started to explain "it was in the morning when Shanks said that there is this upcoming ball organized by the committee and it's compulsory to go, then she got pissed because it happens to be on the same day that the comet she wanted to see is passing by, what was it called"

"Um…I think it was Trails something like that"

"Yeah that one Trials, and so little miss Nel started going on and on about shitty stuff like becoming a lady and Asuna unable to land a boyfriend and blah blah blah"

"Still not getting it, what does it have to do with her getting angry at me" I complained

"Let me finish then complain"

"Sorry, continue" I apologized and gestured with my hand for him to continue

"So then when they were heading to the arena another fight broke out and they made a bet" Claus explained "if Asuna lands a boyfriend by the end of the competition Nel will be her personal servant for a month, if not Asuna is going to be her servant for half a year, and knowing Asuna she would rather die before bowing to someone"

"She will and that's going to be a bummer" I stated "but why does Nel care if Asuna gets a boyfriend or not, it's her personal opinion"

"Tell me about it, and now they are both serious about it" he sighed "and Nel would do anything to make sure Asuna is going to end up as her servant"

"Okay now I get that whole, boyfriend bet but why Marco he is an old man" I exclaimed, looking at me Claus broke into a fit of laughter falling on the floor, "what" I asked now curious and pissed as to why is he laughing

"We also thought the same thing, why date an old man but apparently he is part of her plan to win the bet" he explained now making sense but still I didn't understand why him of all people "and Marco why again…"

"How about I explain slowly in a way it all would make sense" Claus offered

"Okay you do that" I replied and focused on the brunette in front of me

"Asuna asked for Marco's collaboration to help her win a boyfriend at the ball, he is aware of the bet and there is nothing going on between them, as far as I know she has a full scale plan already in motion" he explained

"That woman gives an whole new meaning to the word unexpected, sly and manipulative" I chuckled

"I know there is more to her than what meets the eye, around her you need to expect the unexpected, trust me I've been around her for three years and she is hard to predict"

"Well unexpected is an under statement specially with what you just said" I replied as I stood up and about to head back to the bar before Claus stopped me "wait, there is something that you need to know and it concerns you"

"What else could those woman do more than drag me into their mess" I asked

"Just be careful and watch your back, Nel is plotting something and I have that feeling"

"And what does it have to do with me, and what could she possibly plot" I asked curiously

"That bet, she is taking advantage of it for her own benefit, she only finds looks and strength attractive in guys nothing else matters, and you my friend might fall on the wrong side, you see she had her eyes set on you ever since your bounty came out, and I remember there was this news article about the great fight between you and Ace where you two created a huge crater in the middle of some town"

"The good ol' days" I chuckled remembering our fight

"I heard her say something 'bout beating the crap of that girl who fought against you"

"So she is going to teach Asuna a lesson, now"

"I remember the day that Asuna joined our crew, that time she lifted the curse upon us"

"…."

"you see Nel was part of the red haired pirates a year and a half before Asuna, that time it was like the crew was dead"

"why"

"you see we are a festive bunch and we party a lot, but then Nel came and we stopped partying that much, we were only able to throw a regular party once a week"

"man that sucks"

"I know, then Asuna came and we started partying again but this time it was even harder, guess that she inherited her partying spirit from Shanks, anyone can tell she is his daughter" he laughed at his last statement

"I see, it does make sense she parties like her – WHAT" I yelled at my new discovery, Asuna was Shanks's daughter, the famous _Akagami no _Shanks, "but…father….Shanks is Asuna….agh it doesn't make any sense at all"

"Forget what I just said, you shouldn't have heard what I said" he covered his mouth

"why not"

"she doesn't want people to know, specially Nel"

"but then how do you"

"only few people, the one Shanks trust know"

"I suppose I didn't expect that, now that you mention it she does look like him" I reply, imagining the two next to each other, and hell do they look alike it is so obvious she is his daughter.

"just don't tell anyone will you" Claus began to beg me, "I promise I wont, not even Asuna" I replied as I opened the door.

Once out I saw Nel sitting with a cup of wine she was wearing a deep v-neckline shirt revealing her cleavage, any normal man would've drooled over her. I walked around trying to avoid her, and just when she was about to spot me, I saw Asuna walk into the bar - the cause of my confusion - quickly I dashed towards her and yanked her from her wrist.

"we need to talk, you owe me a big explanation" I stated as I pulled her into the back room, "eh" was all she could say as I dragged her away.

* * *

**Asuna's POV**

Just as I entered the bar I saw Nel in a revealing outfit scanning the bar for someone, who I had to presume was Ace. As I walked further inside I felt a hand yanking me by the wrist and dragging me somewhere, "we need to talk, you owe me a big explanation" a voice belonging to Ace stated

"Eh" was all I managed to say as I was pulled to the back room, still not getting what is going in '_what does he want from me now, and what big explanation do I owe him_' I thought to myself, then did I realize he was holding my hand the whole time, I quickly pulled my hand away as a faint blush crossed my cheeks, as well as his.

"Sorry" he muttered as he closed the door to the back room and leaned on it

"So what do you want from me" I asked coldly, the last thing I want is another fight

"Claus explained to me about that little bet of yours" he started looking at the floor, I raised an eyebrow now wondering what on earth is he going to say "and I'm sorry that I thought you and Marco were you know"

"Eww" I laughed, now that is probably the explanation I owe him, bending down I sat on the floor crossing my legs "why would you think that?"

"Excuse me for not being informed at all" he replied sarcastically

"So what did that Claus tell you" I sighed

"not much just that you seem to have a plan, and Marco is helping you in it, why"

"I was going to ask him why, but you pulled me remember" I replied pointing a finger to my head sarcastically

"my apologies"

"so that's all" I asked as I stood up

"no I want in" he replied, I raised an eyebrow once again but in return he gave me a failure attempt puppy dog eyes, causing me to chuckle "fine after the stupid meeting is over, come to the arcade at about 9.30 I will be there with Marco, if he comes" I stated as I pushed him from the door and made my way back to the bar.

The meeting went smooth, both Shanks and Whitebeard each discussed strategies and such in a way they would secure the top four, grabbing a bottle I pulled Marco out of the bar and started heading towards the arcade, just as I was about to leave I saw Nel getting a hold of Ace and started flirting with him, I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

"So what's the big deal that you cant discuss in the bar" Marco asked we walked side by side, obviously annoyed and finding a way to start a conversation

"Just follow me" I sighed before turning into an alley, checking if there were people around and there was none, I sat on top of a crate crossing my legs and opening my bottle of sake, taking a gulp I looked at him with a questioning look "so why are you helping me" I asked

"You did say killing two birds with one stone, didn't you" he replied trying to avoid my question

"Well yeah I said that, but why did you help me if there is nothing for you"

"You are a pretty smart woman" he teases

"Marco, stop dodging" I groaned, now frustrated

"Alright, but just keep it a secret" he replied and awaited for my nod, which came a few seconds later "well I was hoping that Elisa-chan would get jealous and I will use that opportunity to ask her out"

"Elisa-chan as in the head nurse, the one that scolds Whitebeard" I asked

"Yup there is only one Elisa" he replied, drooling over some dirty thoughts

"And to think a pervert like you would harvest some feelings towards a certain person, the sea sure is a strange place" I commented

"That's mean" he stated "and I am not a pervert"

"Yeah right" I rolled my eyes and jumped of the crate "let's go to the arcade, I promised Ace I will give him a detailed plan or explanation whatever he asked"

"Ace" he raises an eyebrow, turning around I placed a hand on my hip and stared at him, fearing my gaze he raised his hands in the air "I didn't say a thing"

"Well for the record he thinks we are dating and you know so eww and I pass if you are starting to have some thought's" I stated before we parted ways, on my way every few blocks some perverted drunken thug would either come and threaten or flirt with me, whichever it was he would always end up on the floor an inch form his life,

**~at the arcade~**

The place was filled with people around the ages 14-23, some of the youngers were enjoying their time, but the older kids were hanging out, dating or making out in the corner specially inside the skating tunnel, which was disgusting. I headed towards the bowling lanes and ordered a lane for two telling the woman behind the desk that a friend of mine - Ace in other words - is coming, which I got a quite rude reply from her.

"Like I said earlier miss, that friend of yours needs to be here or I cant give you the lane" she barked, extremely pissed for the lack of behavior I grabbed her from the collar of her shirt and pulled her towards me.

"listen lady, I've been extremely kind and I hate using violence so let us be civilized people and give me a lane" I threatened, I was already getting it with the crap and I don't need anymore bull.

"I'm afraid that threat's or violence wont work on me, you see I'm a highly trained martial artist" she replies breaking my grasp on her collar, her hand tightly gripping my wrist in attempt to make me wither in pain, but I showed no signs of suffering even without coating my bones with Haki.

"Stop it Melisa, that woman is part of the red haired pirates" a man orders as he came running towards us, "my apologies Asuna-san"

"Sure but how do you know me?" I asked the man dressed in a dark purple suit, I squinted my eyes to read what was written on his nametag "Dilos-san"

"It's Dialos, and you are famous around my friends, we are huge fans of the games, have been watching them ever since they started never missed one, I also have a Visual den-den mushi installed in the Centre"

"But sir she clearly is" the woman, Melisa tried to argue but couldn't continue her argument as she met her manager's glare "I'm the manager so do as I say or I will fire you and I say give her a lane" he ordered.

"Immediately sir" she bowed in apology and hurried to the storage room, turning around I looked at the manager with a demanding look "wasn't that a bit harsh Manager-san"

"It may be but Melisa isn't well behaved, she is rude to people who aren't from this island, specially to beautiful woman like you" he replied as he brought his hand to my waist, grabbing his wrist I tightened my grip around it causing him to let go.

"I'm not the best person to piss off, you see I can't tolerate perverts like you" I growled before shoving him and walking away.

Changing shoes I picked up a bowling ball and started to play, every few rounds I would look at the clock checking the time, currently it read 9.25 almost time for Ace to come. I sat on the bench for a break, taking a sip of my half empty bottle. Twenty minutes have passed and Ace didn't show up yet, '_maybe he is bailing on me_' I though as I looked at the time which was now 9.47, standing up from my seat I walked towards the lane for one final round

"Nice trial of half dead thugs you left" a voice states from behind, turning around is see it was none other than Ace, he was wearing a black shirt and changed his signature orange hat to a black one.

"You're late" I replied, shoving the bowling into his stomach "thought you stood me up"

"I'm sorry but Nel wont let me go, and when I managed to sneak away I had to change so she wont spot me" he groaned as he held the ball and headed towards the lane.

"Figured that much" I sighed rubbing my head

"So about what we talked earlier"

"Your job is simple, make sure Nel isn't in my way" I replied watching him roll the ball down the lane earning a strike, before he turned around and raised an eyebrow

"How am I supposed to do that, she is a crazed flirting freak specially around you, she even suggested we follow and spy on you when you left the bar" he argued and rolled once again landing a strike

"That bitch" I exclaimed

"Hey I'm the one who is putting up with it"

"But I didn't ask for your help in the first place you volunteered, idiot"

"Will stop taking it so seriously" his voice was raised a bit higher showing anger and frustration

"I'd rather die than-" I wasn't able to continue as Ace cut me off "than bow down to someone, yeah I know, we all know"

"Then that makes it simple, just do your job" I lightly punched his shoulder "and I will pay you 50 thousand"

"Jeez why cant you be relaxed like your dad" he asked, my eyes widened in shock how did he know about us, he also wore a similar expression to mine due to blurting out something he shouldn't have

"Who told you" I snarled grabbing him from the collar of his shirt, while my other hand curled into a ball

"I…I didn't mean it in an offensive way, I swear" he apologized, sighing I let go of his collar "just don't tell anyone, I don't want to be called as red haired Shanks daughter or the devil's child or anything like that" I whispered '_I already had enough_' I added in my mind

"You want to be you, not someone's child, right" he asks, I looked at him surprised and smiled at how he understood my feelings

"Oh look it's my turn, I forgot to play" he broke the awkward moment and walked towards the lane with a ball in his hand, chuckling I sat on the bench and watched him end with a high score.

"Let the pro handle this" I smirked as I changed the settings of the game to a 3 game match, grabbing a ball I took a deep breath before rolling the ball down the isle "and she strikes" I exclaimed raising my hands up in the air

"That was sheer luck" Ace argued as he grabbed a ball for his turn "watch and learn" he stated before rolling the ball down, knocking only 6 pins

"Yes I watched and learned" I teased with my hands crossed over my chest, a nice sly smirk plastered on my face "but I'm not sure I will use your teachings"

"That was a mistake" he defended

"Nuh uh" I argued "just admit it, I am better at this than you are"

"Best out of three and we will see" he stated, grabbing my ball I looked at him with a winning smile "you're on" I smirked and rolled again on the isle with another strike, we played for a long while and I won the game with two points difference.

Sitting on one of the dining table I munched on my burger as Ace was busy tending to his own pasta, we sat there eating our meals and chatting about different things, "You know Marco likes some woman called Elisa, she is the head nurse" I stated drinking from my sake only to finish the bottle.

"What" he exclaimed "are you serious he said Elisa-chan"

"Yeah, apparently he wants to capture her attention and you know the rest, but who would've thought that a pervert like him will love a single person"

"He probably likes her because Elisa-chan is extremely strict with him, she treats him harshly just like she does with Ōyaji" he chuckled "but man the sea sure is a strange place"

"I said the same thing" I chuckled "maybe she is harsh on him because she cares about him"

"And what makes you say that" he asked as he leaned forward crossing his arms on the table, the way he looked at me slightly gave me the chills

"My care taker was harsh on me because she used to care about my well being, so it is probably the same with Marco" I explained as I leaned forward and glared at him, we stared at each other for a while before we each broke into laughter and leaned back in my seat "ahh, you should see the look on your face, it seems hard to take in the fact that you lost to me in a bowling match" I teased

We started joking and making fun of people of how weird they are, throwing some spare change on the table I bade Ace farewell as we went our separate ways, I turned around to his silhouette disappear into the dark. Letting out a smile I headed towards the beach for a quick bath, the last I want is for Ace's smell to rub on me and for Nel to ask me questions, I had just one little problem his scent stuck to me like glue and I had to spend 45 minutes in the icy freezing waters.

On my to the pent house I thought of many excuses such as I fell in the water but they were obvious lies. Opening the door I peeked inside to check the coast, lucky for me everyone was asleep, quickly running to the room I took a hot bath to warm up and wore warm long sleeved pajamas before heading to the kitchen to make myself some hot chocolate, '_you want to be you not someone's child_' Ace's words echoed through my mind, how did he understand me and what was the meaning of those words "thinking about it wont help" I whispered to myself, closing my eyes and leaning my head backwards while tightly holding my hot chocolate for warmth

"Thinking about what" a voice startles me causing me to jump and cause some of my drink to spill on the counter

"Shanks don't creep up from behind me" I breathed as I placed my cup on the table

"Sorry, can't help but love your expressions" he teases, "so why are you dressed heavily"

"Because…" I trailed of trying to think of something "I…took a dip in the sea"

"I'm not going to ask why your stupid brain told you to take a dip in freezing waters, but glad you didn't turn into an ice cube"

"Well you can guess who I got this stupid brain from" I teased back, sighing a frown decorated my face as I looked at Shanks "hey, is it okay if I ask you a question"

"Sure you can always ask me anything"

"Say, if I wasn't your daughter will you still treat me the same" I asked hesitating for a second, and avoided his eyes

"Idiot, what made you think that" he asked as he pulled me into an embrace, "I don't know" I replied as I leaned into his chest seeking his warmth, and that soothing heartbeat.

"You are my daughter and that will not change, even if you're not I will still treat you the same" he states as he kissed my forehead and stroked his thumb against my cheek "now go get some sleep you need it, and make sure you cover up well"

"I will" I smile as I took a sip of my hot chocolate before heading to my room "thanks dad"

"Sweet dreams" he whispered as he took my cup of hot chocolate and began drinking it, "you too" I bade him night.

Laying on the bed covering up with layers of blanket from the cold and courtesy of Shanks, Ace's words kept echoing in the back of my mind, turning around I smiled sadly '_I see, I've fallen in love with him a long time ago_' I thought, a tear rolling down my cheek as I closed my eyes falling asleep.


	11. 3-rows

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**_Chapter 10: 3-rows_**

You felt someone shake you 'oi asuna wake up, wake up' you flipped to the other side and moaned, suddenly all blankets were gone and you hit your head hard on the floor causing you to be fully awake

"Owww, who did this" you yell putting your hand on your head. You look up to see nel standing.

"You've got 10 minutes to be ready" she states. You look at the alarm and see it was not set

"Shit i forgot to set the alarm, i was exhausted last night" you jump onto your feet grabbing your clothes and run toward the bathroom, you quickly changed and ran towards the breakfast table quickly swallowing anything you set your eyes on, you choked several times but you ignored and continued on. You then were running towards the arena as fast as you can and spotted marco.

"Marco wait for me" you yelled as you made your way towards him

"Hey asuna" he waves waiting for you. You finally caught up to him and started walking side by side while trying to catch your breath. It was awkward as you both walked in silence.

"Say marco, what if i give up the bet and listen to what nel orders me to for the next six months" you asked in a low voice

"But why now" he asks "and will you really bow to her"

"I don't know anymore, i just want this all to be over"

"Are you okay, because you are talking nonsense" he waves his hand in front of your face. You shake your head. "Did something happen yesterday"

"nothing"

"then why are you spitting bullshit"

"last night before I went to sleep I was wondering about things and I realized all of this is meaning less, to fall in love with someone you need time and there is no way I can accomplish it in mere three or four days"

"you do have a point, this is not a simple matter" he smiles "so what now"

"tell ace that i give up and he doesn't have to do his part"

"what ace is also in this" he asks surprised

"yeah I asked him to spy on nel and give me feedback"

"I'm lucky to be your friend not enemy" he teases

"that's harsh"

"but its true"

"see you later" you wave and run to the arena "oh were still on for tomorrow"

* * *

***ace's POV***

the arena was pretty much almost filled, you see marco heading towards you, he wasn't his usual happy self, you guessed that something happened.

"is everything alright marco" you ask

"asuna tells you that she calls of the plan, you don't need to spy on nel any longer" he replies

"what" you were suprised

"she says she is giving up on the bet"

"why"

"she said she realized it is pointless and impossible for her"

"but last night she was confident about her plan"

"I know she said she realized it before she fell asleep"

"and why are you bothered about it"

"I was hoping that if her plan works it might work for me as well"

"with elisa-san" you blurted. He looks at you shocked "sorry I didn't"

"why did she tell you"

"i-I kinda asked her why you and she told me that you want elisa-san to recognize you" you trembled backing a few steps

"what she told me earlier made me realize it will take a very long time for elisa to recognize me"

"then just endure until that time comes" you say putting your hand on his shoulder

"thanks man"

all of the players were on the field, izo went from your team and asuna went from hers. And some woman with purple hair from team beasts, she felt like a strong foe, you wondered if izo and asuna can hold their own against her.

"this maybe troublesome I should've gotten out there" says jozu crossing his hands

"you felt it didn't you, that woman we mustn't take her lightly" you state

"well here are the rules: each player has three lives, you can only be hit three times before you are out, if your attack hits then you receive one point, this will stay until the number of players is reduced to one and the winner is the one with most points, you can use any methods you want, but remember cheating is disqualification" announces the judge and the players scatter

"it's like a tag but you have 3 chances before you are out" you scratch your head "this may be in asuna's favor"

"don't forget that there is some other woman who seems suspicious" marco points out

* * *

***third person POV***

the bell rang indicating the start of the match, all competitors started preparing an attack but suddenly a blast of black light rushed towards all the players, each of them losing one chance, the crowd started to cheer.

"wow in the first second asuna lands a powerful attack and gains 23 points, it seems that rin from team beasts is the only one who avoided the attack" says the announcer "so will asuna get the upper hand and redeem for her loss on the second day or what"

"I will not let a simple screw up to hinder me" she glares at the announcer and starts another powerful attack, this time izo and two players dodged it, while rin simply stood in her place as the attack got nullified before it even reached her, most players took this chance and counter attacked, the number had dropped to 10 players.

"20 points on that round, this match is settled asuna has dominated 3-rows with a total of 43 points being in the lead, after her izo with 15 points, then rin with 12 points" the announcer states. The outcome was clear asuna had dominated 3-rows.

All players had focused on taking asuna down, with many attacks from different directions, she dodged each and every one of them without and effort, and landed 3 attacks. Izo used this chance and landed 4 attacks, rin on the other hand just stood there.

"so what's your deal" asuna asks rin while preparing another attack

"it wont work on me" she smiles back

"we can see that you nullify our attacks, so what do you use magic like the others" asks izo

"correct, our entire time is composed of mages, and I use nullification magic" she harshly replied as she instantly attacked izo sending him flying back. The entire stadium was shocked and surprised at what happened.

"izo" yelled all the whitebeard crew in unison. Asuna froze in her place shocked at what happened, she shakily turned around looking at izo her eyes were open wide "izo" she whispered.

"I'm fine, it's just I didn't expect this" he coughed up blood

"can you fight"

"I still have on chance, I bet everything on it" he chuckled

"you better not bail on me you cross dressing commander" she teases him.

The whitebeard commander was barely able to stand up, he was covered in wounds and blood, he slowly made his way to the center on the arena. All of the whitebeard crew sympathized there comrade.

"don't push yourself" says asuna as she is preparing to attack

"it's useless" says rin coldly as she dashes past asuna and lands another attack on izo, he was able to doge it but there was still some damage, and was eliminated.

"it's alright you still have 19 points that's second place" yells vista from within the stands

"the tension in the air is strong, asuna has secured the first place with 46 points. Izo lost but has 19 points also securing second place, and rin has 14 points securing third place" says the announcer "finally the completion has reached it's climax, now who will be the one to be standing"

"it's clear that I will be standing but I will still be third place" rin states in a nasty manor

"don't get full of yourself bitch" asuna replies

"you are one rude pesky brat, you know that"

"your welcome" asuna provokes her by smirking and giving her a courtesy bow. The crowd burst laughing at how laid back asuna was getting.

"that idiot is provoking her enemy" nel laughs

"it's asuna we are talking about, by doing see she is evaluating her enemy's strength and weakness" benn corrects her.

"but still" claus says as he watches with a worried expression.

"you piece of trash" yells rin as she sends a attack randomly, asuna simply dodged it but was surprised to see that the place she was just standing seconds ago now has a very small crater. "what are you looking at, you will soon share the same fate" she replies with a crazy tone.

"I'd like to see it" asuna challenges her, she tried to prepare an attack but couldn't summon any magic, she was surprised.

"surprised, I nullified your magic, meaning you no longer can attack me" rin laughed manically, and sent an outburst of light towards asuna, that it created a hole and many cracks on the wall. Slowly as the smoke started to clear asuna emerged with a few wounds.

"tsch…my body hurts all over, what did you do to make the lightning this powerful"

"that was nothing with the next two attacks you will be lying dead on the floor"

"go ahead kill me I don't mind, there is no reason for me to live if I'm going to be pitted after this" asuna replies in a serious tone

"very well" nel says as she sends another powerful attack, and sprints towards asuna "you'll regret saying this"

after being hit by a powerful attack asuna was now covered in wounds and was bleeding, she was barely able to stand, rin sprinted towards her clenching her fists to punch asuna. Just when she was about to hit, asuna dodged her attack and coated her fist with haki smacking rin hardly on the face causing her nose to start bleeding.

"how can you still be standing" rin yells at her while holding her nose "no how can you still muster such power to break my nose"

"you simply relied on the fact that I cant use magic and completely forgot that I can use haki" she states with a grin on her face

"woah finally asuna landed a hit on rin" says the announcer in surprise, the crowd was surprised as well, she took such a risky chance to strike.

"that was some reckless strategy" ace states with a shocked and worried expression on his face

"you will regret it" rin yells as she concentrates a high amount of energy in her hand, and sends a really powerful attack on asuna causing to ground to collapse, she kept sending a few attacks that were also strong enough to create a crater. "serves you right" she laughed hysterically.

Bellow on the ground after falling a 4 or 5 floors, lays asuna unconscious covered with lots of blood, the crowd and nel had a horrid look on their faces, while the rest of the red haired pirates along with ace, marco, whitebeard, izo and a few of the whitebeard commanders had a angry, worried, repulsive expressions. Shanks glared at kaido who was laughing, while Benn and claus jumped into the hole to get asuna.

"hurry and get her to the infirmary before she dies from blood loss" yells benn at claus

"I know that just run faster" he yells back

"you bitch, why did you do that, the rule was three strikes and out" yells ace as he jumps into the field and grabs rin from her collar.

"if you're a pirate then you should not care about trash like her" she replies sarcastically and breaks of his grasp.

"ace calm down, we'll deal with them later, now we need to go" jozu tries to persuade ace out of his attempt to murder rin. He lets go of her and starts running to the infirmary along with jozu.

"thanks man, if you weren't there I would've lost it already" ace apologizes.

"lets hope that asuna is alright" jozu replies to ace

* * *

***ace's POV***

you and jozu met up with shanks and whitebeard with the rest of the two teams who were next to the operation room. Shanks was sitting on the floor next to the door with a pained look in his eyes, every few moments asuna would scream of pain though she was unconscious, it hurt hearing her cries. You walked over to shanks and sat next to him, resting your face one your knees and wrapping your hands around them.

"will she be okay" you asked in a low voice

"I can only pray so" he replies

the door of the operation room opens and the doctor comes out, he had a few blood stains on his uniform. Shanks quickly stood up and looked at him, the doctor himself looked as if he had bad news, you on the other hand just looked up.

"we gave her emergency treatment, but we need a immediate blood transfusion, she has lost far too much blood" he says scratching his head. "just a few units until we receive some from the main hospital"

"we'll give you as much as you need, just tell us what type you want" shanks replies to him.

"it's a rare type XF{RH+}" he says, shanks expression went blank as well as most of the people who were there. You were shocked to hear that you had the same blood type as her.

"but" shanks turned around with an even pained look "anyone of you guys is XF{RH+}"

"I'm sorry" marco started before you cut him of

"take mine, I'm XF{RH+}, she might hate me even more for doing this but I don't care" you blurted.

Without noticing you were in the operation room along with shanks, lying next to asuna, you gave her 3 units of your blood. She was sleeping without a sound covered with bandages from head to toe.

"I thought you and asuna had the same blood type" you asked shanks

"how do you know about us" he asks back

"she told me"

"I see, I am XF but she got her {RH+} from her mother" he smiles at the thought of his wife. There was a moment of silence, as you both thought of what happened.

"she is lucky she doesn't have any fractures major or minor, as a matter of fact she is lucky to have survived with this much damage, it will take a few days before her wounds start to close, but until then don't let her do anything reckless or move a lot and most importantly she mustn't drink sake for a week" the doctor says.

"I guess not drinking sake for a week would be hard for her" shanks says with a smile

"she will recover quickly" you state.

"you care about her don't you, ace?" shanks asks

"in a way, I do" you confess looking at her, she looked like an innocent little angel "though after today she will hate me"

"she won't, she never hates, just like her mother she says she hates them but actually she is just angry at them"

"well she has been angry at me for almost 3 years now"

"it's your fault for pissing her off every time"

"I cant help it"

"thanks ace, I don't know what I would do if it weren't for you"

"no, all I did was give her blood the ones who saved her were the doctors"

You headed to the restaurant at the shop after donating your blood to recover your strength, you couldn't help but worry about asuna and the fact that she will hate you, after all she did say she would rather die than be pitted. You had to prepare for the worst possible outcome when she wakes up.


	12. in the infirmary

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

_**Chapter 11: in the infirmary**_

***your pov***

Your body hurt so bad that it was hard to feel your limbs, it felt like drills piercing every bone in you shattering them, you wanted to scream till your voice cords tore. 'This pain is hell itself' you thought. You opened your eyes to see a white light "why am I in heaven not hell" you muttered, you can hear familiar voices in the background, slowly your vision became clear and you saw shanks above your head along with benn, you slightly turn to see the rest of the room and see everyone of your team with the exception of nel, and whitebeard along with his team but ace was missing.

"Don't push your body to hard" shanks say as he helps you sit up.

"Why is everyone here" you asked coldly

"We were worried about you silly" he replies

"That's not what i meant" you yelled at him and tears started to pour down your eyes. He pulls you into a hug and you buries your face into his chest.

"Let it all out" he says and glares at everyone in the room.

"We'll go out" says marco as everyone else leaves the room. You kept crying for a while that you were out of breath, you broke away and gasped for air.

"Why are you giving me such a face" you muttered

"Cant a father care about his daughter" he replies

"I'm sorry"

"What are you apologizing for sweetheart, you got first place"

"I went out there and got myself almost killed"

"Everyone makes mistakes like these every once in a while" he wipes away your tears "your actions remind me of the very reason I fell in love with your mother"

"Hey dad what was mum like" you asked looking up to him.

"Hmmm she was kind, loving and caring". You couldn't help but smile. "She had this amazing smile like yours, she was fearless and reckless". you couldn't help but chuckle.

"If she was here what would she say?"

"She will defiantly be proud of you" he stated and then continued on how he fell in love with her, their adventures together and many things.

"Sir, I'm afraid i will have to ask you to leave" the nurse enterputs as enters the room. Shanks frowned and you smiled at him.

"I'll be alright" you say as you lie down.

"Thanks honey" he says and kisses your forehead

"For what" you were confused

"For calling me dad" he says as he headed towards the door.

"shanks out" you replied coldly

"oh I almost forgot, thank ace for donating his blood for you" he struggles as the nurses pushes him out. You chuckled at his reaction, and then blushed at the fact that right now ace's blood is flowing through your veins.

* * *

***shanks POV***

You were heading back to the arena, they almost finished repairing the field, as you walked down the corridor you put your hand in your pocket and felt something cold, you fiddled with it as you took it of your pocket, you realized that it was asuna's locket that you removed before she was treated. For some reason the locket looked familiar, opening it you see a picture of your wife and on the opposite side the phrase 'no matter what seas separate us you will always be in my heart' was engraved. Then it hit you that this was the locket you gave your wife when you were about to leave and it had a picture of when you first dated her.

~flashback~

You were ready to set sail, you looked at your wife who seemed pained by your leave, her long golden hair was flowing in the direction of the wind, she desperately held her tears back as she held tight to you, she buried her face in your chest to the extent that it tickled you.

"Shanks promise me you will be back safe" she whispered

"I promise you i will be back but i cant promise you i will not be harmed" you kiss her forehead. "don't give me that look aika"

"then I'll be waiting for you" she says as she wraps her hands around your neck and runs her fingers through your hair. You wrapped your arms around her waist pulling her closer to you and lean to kiss her, that was the most passionate and last kiss you ever had.

"I will always love you" you say as you reach go your pocket and give her the locket, a smile crossed her face as she took it and opened it.

"No matter what seas separate us you will always be in my heart" she read out load and a tear drop rolled down her cheeks, she held the locket tightly onto her chest and looked at you with pained eyes "i will always love you too" she replied back

She handed you the locket and held her hair up as you placed it around her neck, it perfectly matched her golden hair and green eyes along with the white knee length loose dress she wore, in your eyes she has never been this beautiful.

"Captain the preparations are ready" benn interrupts. You kissed her cheeks before you left. she stood at the shore watching you head towards the horizon.

"Shanks i need to tell you something" she yelled at you

"What is it" you yelled back at her

"I'm -" the waves hit the side of the ship and you weren't able to here her.

"I didn't hear you" you yelled back

"I'm -" another wave hit again, it looked like a storm was coming

"You're what" you yelled at her but it was pretty much useless as she can barely hear you.

"I'm pregnant shanks" she mouthed as a tear rolled down, a smile crossed your face as you read her lips

"Thank you aika" you whispered as the figure of your wife faded away. After about a year you receive news of the sudden death of your wife, and when you asked about her child people replied that there was no child, and that she died of internal bleeding. It pained you to hear that your family is dead, that day you didn't stop mourning and kept drinking until you lost conscious.

Then 17 years later ~3 years ago~ a girl comes out of nowhere and claims she is your daughter, at first you didn't believe but then you realized the resemblance in character with your late wife and the fact she has the same green eyes and golden hair, and also she was around the age when you left your wife, and she showed you a picture of you on your wedding day.

~end of flashback~

you smiled as the memories rushed back into your mind, it may have been 20 years since you last saw her but for some reason it felt like it was yesterday. You turned back wanting to return it but then remembered that you aren't allowed to enter, you look at the locket again trying to imagine asuna's face if she had lost it, it wasn't a lovely face, you look up and spot ace coming in your direction.

"is she alright" he asks

"yeah the nurse just kicked me out" you joke

"why"

"apparently I'm not allowed to stay there because it will slow down her recovery" you tease "so will you"

"I wont I was just going to check on her, but" he sighs.

"The nurse may allow you 5 minutes" you say handing him the locket "just give asuna this"

"isn't it the locket she always wears" he asks

"it was her mothers, make sure she gets it or we will be in big trouble and I mean real big trouble"

"then I better hurry" he says taking the locket from your hand and sprints towards the infirmary.

* * *

***your POV***

you lied down on the bed thinking about ace, you were curious as why did he save you despite your attempts to kill him. You sighed and sat up straight scratching the back of your head, a smile crossed your face.

~knock knock~

the door opened and ace came in, your smile disappears and your eyes turn ice cold, 'I don't need his pitty' you thought, and lied down covering your face with the blanket.

"if you are here to tease or pity me then the door is a better option" you said coldly. He ignores you and walks slowly towards the bed.

"how are you feeling" he asks, shocking you.

"better thanks to….you" you whispered

"what"

"th...th…thanks" you struggled

"but I did nothing" he was confused.

"the blood you gave me, it helped" you reply burying your face into the pillow in an attempt to hide your blush.

"you aren't angry" he asks

"no"

"did you hit your head or something" he says as he leans towards you. You got angry at the fact that you were thanking him but he wasn't being a total ass to you, turning the other side and sitting up quickly you accidentally head-butt him hardly.

"ow" he says as he backs up a few steps while holding his head

"sorry" you reply in pain. Looking at each other for a moment, and then both of you start laughing.

"it's my fault" he says. You shake your head.

"no it's my fault for getting pissed"

"but mostly its mine"

"yeah" you say and then suddenly a small blush crosses your cheeks for no reason "so what brings you here"

"I was going to check on you and then I ran into shanks who told me to give you this since the nurse kicked him out and he forgot to give it back" he says pulling your locket from his pocket.

"my locket" you exclaim as you put your hand to where it was supposed to be.

"I was told it was important to you" he says handing it over to you.

"it was my mothers" you reply taking it and opening it showing him her picture

"she's pretty" he states

"shanks gave it to her when he was about to leave"

"you look like her more than you look like shanks". You look at him then a faint blush appears, you couldn't help but chuckle.

"this is a photo of her when they first started dating, she was around my age at the time" you look back at the photo "the only looks I inherited from her are my eye and hair color". you try to put it on but your right shoulder kept hurting you.

"oh let me do it" ace asks as he takes the locket from you "the doctor said you shouldn't move a lot, after all there was this 4cm long metal piece that pierced your shoulder and he also said you cant drink sake for a whole week"

he takes the locket and put it on then tidies your hair, a small blush crossed your face. You didn't want him to leave, 'just a while longer' you thought. The vision den den mushi started to broadcast the beginning of the battles.

"stay for a while longer" you blurted. After realizing what you asked a small blush crossed your face and you quickly turned the other side, you can hear him chuckle under his breathe.

"sure why not" he says and sits next to you.

You watched the battles progress, each one was interesting on it's own. You laughed during the fight between lucky roo and some guy, he maybe muscular and looked strong however lucky roo made a total fool out of him. He first started by teasing him and eating on his chunk of meat, they guy enraged dashed towards him trying to steal the meat but lucky roo stopped the guy by putting his arm on the mans forehead preventing him from moving forward, you could tell he wasn't using haki.

"As always despite his shape lucky roo has high raw power" ace comments

"He seems like he will play with his opponent" you continue

"Lets hope it will be something fun"

You watched the guy struggle like a child, he went like this several times before finally trying to pass beneath lucky roo and grab his meat loaf, it was also a failed attempt as he was stepped on. You started laughing hardly that you coughed blood in your hands, ace stood up and headed towards the door.

"Nurse" he yelled

"What are you doing" you asked him

"Isn't it obvious I'm calling the nurse" he replies

"I'm fine" you insisted

"No your not" he approached you and held your hand out and raising an eyebrow.

"Are you my father or what" you rolled you eyes

"Is everything alright sir" comes a nurse

"She coughed out blood" he says and glared at him

"Move aside sir" she tells him making her way to you. Studying the blood for a while she put her hand on her forehead and sighs. "It's nothing to worry about she just need some rest"

"See i told you i'm fine" you rolled your eyes

"Not yet, you need to rest"

"Go die" you snarled at hims as you laid down on the bed.

"I dont want to" He took a seat on the chair at the other end of the room. You were pissed at him that you weren't able to laugh at the rest of lucky roo's battle, which finished lucky roo grabbed his opponent's head and hurled him in the air out of the arena.

"The next and final battle of the day is from purple rage portgas d. Ace versus rin from team beasts" says the announcer. Your eyes open wide, for some reason you didn't want him to leave, he stood up his eyes were cold full of rage.

"This may be an amazing fight, earlier it seemed as they were about to brawl" the announcer states

"Ace" you managed to whisper

"Relax, i will win no matter what" he says and smiles at you, closing the door behind him heading towards the field. 'Stay, don't go' you kept screaming in your head, you were afraid if he went he would die, no you were afraid of those deadly eyes, he was angry, you have never seen him this angry and serious before, All you did was hope for his safety.


	13. mixed feelings

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**_Chapter 12: mixed feelings_**

You watched ace as he left. His eyes were cold, never he was this much angry or serious about something, for some reason that smile reassured you that he will be safe but part of you was scared, scared of what might happen. You hugged the pillow tightly as you waited for the match, you kept praying that it will never come.

'why am I like his, why did fall for him, why does it hurt when he is around, I hate it this feeling, why do I have look so weak, why those eyes, he doesn't have to fight, just surrender ace, you don't have to go through what I went. Last night you laughed your heart out, that smile was full of warmth, you ignored the world around you and were yourself, wasn't all that real, why cant you do it now. I want you to be so close next to me that I can feel your body just like a few days ago when you apologized, I want you to wrap your hands around me and feel your warmth, there are many things I want from you that I cant have, is this my punishment for loving you'

You turned around the other side and hugged the pillow tighter, you kept thinking about him and what happened the past few days. "I love so don't you die on me" you whispered as a tear rolled down your cheeks. You quickly wiped it of and turned towards the den den mushi "this isn't the time to cry, I am strong" you strongly clapped your face to snap out of it.

"We will gave ace 5 minutes to come to the field, if he doesn't arrive in that time then he is disqualified" says the judge. You looked up to the screen hoping he doesn't make it in time.

* * *

***ace's POV***

You walked down the corridor to the field, you adjusted your hat that it covers your eyes, for they were deadly cold to the extent you didn't want anyone to see, you were truly a child of a demon. All you thought about was asuna and how those bastards stole away her smile, how they made her break and cry, how they made her depressed to the extent she wished to die.

'I don't want to see them ever again, those tears, you are strong, stronger than me, you proved it on that day when I accidentally hurt one of your crew members you came and beat me, that fight lasted for five days, that town got a huge crater thanks to us, you never backed down not yet, no matter how much it hurts, even if you were on the verge of death you will stand up and fight. So this time let me do the fighting, let me be the one who will stand on his feet on the verge of death, let me help you get that smile back, let me take care of your revenge, I will kill every single one of them, so please don't ever show me those tears'

ahead of you was the stairs to the field all you needed to do is cross them and fulfill your revenge, you didn't deny it, you hated them, you can never forgive them. You stood there for a moment staring at the stair thinking as the heat rushed through your veins.

'so it took me three years to get this far huh?' a smirk crossed your face

'what I truly wanted took me three years, the answers to all of my questions. Who am I? I'm portgas d ace son of portgas d rouge and gol d roger, the older brother of monkey d luffy, the second division commander of the whitebeard pirates. Why am I born? I was born because I have a reason to live and a role in this world. What is that reason? That reason is help those close to me achieve their goals and help them get eternal smiles. What is it that I want from life? I thought it was fame and money but I was wrong, I wanted to love and be loved, the first ones who accepted me were luffy and sabo, they are the ones who I share a important bond with.'

You took a deep breath and clenched your fists together as you set foot on the stair, you can hear the crowd cheering and booing, but you didn't care of what they think, you only wanted to go out there and murder rin. By every second your eyes grew colder and colder, you looked worse and worse, slowly turning your face into that of a demon who kills anything in its path.

'Hey asuna, do I look scary. If I do then im sorry, I didn't mean to. If my anger gets the best of me then I don't mind, but just pray I don't get myself killed. this is one of those times when I need someone to be by my side, pops, marco, jozu and everyone will you be there for me, I want you guys to back me up, I want your support, just don't let me fall into the darkness'

you were now half way through the stairs, your mind blurred for some reason you were scared to go out there but you had to, no you wanted to go out there and fight for you friends for those who you care about.

'I don't know why am I fighting for you, asuna. I just know that seeing you hurt also hurts me. There is something about you that makes me feel different, you make me feel as if I'm on my knees, around you I'm weak. I saw a different side of you in those few days, a side I never knew existed, there were those eyes full of passion, and that blush that makes you look like a child. You owe me a big explanation of what are you doing to me, I hate it but at the same time I love it, thanks to you I cant think straight anymore'

you finally reached the door and you can hear the crowd counting down "35, 34, 33.." ; your smirk turned into a grin, your mind was made up, you will use all of your strength to take rin down. You held your hand into a fist up in the air as you entered the field, the stadium started to shake, the crowed began to cheer your name "ACE, ACE, ACE" and there were the squeals of fan girls who wanted your attention "ahh ace we love you" "marry me ace" "he looks so hot", but you ignored them. "kick her ass ace" "show them the strength of the whitebeard pirates" "don't you dare lose" you heard your comrades cheering you.

"no matter what I will win" you declared

"you better do" izo replies as he sat next to whitebeard, he was covered with bandages but nothing serious.

"go out there and win" whitebeard orders. you nodded in reply and turned to face the enemy.

"you seem pretty much confident" rin teases

"yeah, I will beat you and that's all there is to it"

"that's why you are weak"

"huh?" you didn't understand what she meant by weak.

"comrades, friends, family, love, anyone who cherishes those are weak" she mocks "they are the reason for your downfall"

"what makes you say that"

"I used to be like that in the past that is"

"listen I don't care what your past is" you hissed at her "but mark my word when I say they are my strength"

"what foolishness, then I will make sure that those stupid bonds are the very reason to your death"

"please take your places and wait for the bell" the judge interrupts. You nod and give rin a death glare as you get into position.

'my comrades are the reason I am standing up, my friends are the reason I live for tomorrow, my family are the reason why I fight, and love is what makes me stronger, it gives me the will to protect those who are important to me. People who are important to me shed tears, got hurt, suffered greatly thanks to you, and I will use that power you just mocked to defeat you and get that person to smile again, laugh again, make those funny faces again. I will not die and I will give it my all to get asuna the way she was, I will live to see that side of her for a longer time, I want to know what is that makes her different from others, I want to start all over with her, I want to be her friend, someone she can trust and count on, I want to be by her side through sadness and happiness, I will endure anything just to make asuna happy and so she can never be this much hurt ever again'

You have made your resolve to defeat rin and return asuna's smile. You looked at the stands where your comrades stood and cheered, they all believed in you. Looking a bit further you saw the red haired pirates cheering you as well, though shanks seemed a bit worried but non the less he believed in your strength because you were luffy's older brother and the man who is on par with his daughter, he didn't have any doubts about you, he was worried that you might get hurt badly or even worse, dead. In a few moments the bell rang and everything went blank in your brain, you were focused on defeating the enemy in front of you, nothing else mattered to you.

"For my fallen friends I swear I will win" you say as you both prepare to launch your attacks. 'And for asuna's sake I will kill you' you thought

* * *

**A/N: i know that this chapter isn't much convincing but to make it simple in this chapter ace realises his feelings for asuna - the part that he cares for her not that he loves her, it yet has to come. once again i apologise for my bad story writing and stupid wild imagination and please review so i can know how to improve myself.**


	14. Battle

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**_Chapter 13: battle_**

***your POV***

You watched the crowd yell ace's name as he entered the field, you clenched the blanket tightly and thought of how weak you are. As soon as ace was on the field you saw rin taunting him about how caring for people drags a person down, at that statement your anger boiled through your veins 'kill her ace' you thought. You sat up straight and fixed your eyes onto the screen, studying every single second of the fight.

"for my fallen friends I swear I will win" he declared as he prepared to attack immediately after the bell rang. Slowly moving into a position where he can attack and defend at the same time, holding his hand out waiting for the chance to strike. Rin also prepared to attack by summoning lightning to her hand; at that moment you were confused recalling what happened earlier today 'don't tell me she can use lightning magic as well, how couldn't I notice that' you thought.

"Ierōsupāku" rin yells as she launches a few sparks of lightning towards ace.

"Kagerō" ace yells as he shoots out a steam of fire from the palm of his hand, both attacks collide and cancel each other with a huge blast, causing the sand of the field to be everywhere.

"that was some start, I didn't see that coming, i hope the arena doesn't break like earlier" the announcer says as he watches with open eyes.

You looked in shock at how equally matched their attacks were, at that moment you believed that ace could win but at the same time you were worried of her ability to nullify abilities.

* * *

***third person POV***

the crowd looked in amazement at how the fight started, while those at the edge started to cough due to the dust in the air caused by the shockwave. Slowly emerging from the dust ace looks shocked at what just happened, clenching his hands tightly and glaring at rin.

"shocked" she states

"if I recall correctly you used nullification magic, how come you are using lightning magic" he asks

"I do remember saying that I used nullification magic at the time, but I also remember that I didn't use lightning until I trashed that woman" she replies sarcastically with a mental grin. "so it basically means that I didn't say anything about being able to use two types of magic"

"two types is that even possible" izo asks looking at marco

"do I look like an expert, as far as I know the only person to use magic was asuna" he replies with a slightly pissed tone "and you know asuna would never tell anyone about her techniques, you know whatever they are called"

"all we can do is just hope that ace wins or at least make it alive" whitebeard interrupts their conversation

"pops" they say in unison. They both then turn around to continue the match. Ace seemed really pissed at the moment while rin seemed cocky; he never removed his eyes from her.

"go for it ace" nel cheers from the stands and several fan girls start to screech, causing ace to jerk at the sound. he turns towards them and gives them a death glare, in which they almost wetted themselves and sat in their seats quietly without a single sound.

"with that attitude you will never get a girlfriend" rin teases him.

"i couldn't care any less about them" he replies coldly

"you really are innocent" she sighs

"eh?" ace looked confused at what she said.

"I mean you don't look at women in a way, like perverts do, you don't want them for yourself, you don't see them as tools for entertainment and you know the rest, blah blah blah" she starts to explain

"are you stupid or what"

"im not stupid" she confusingly replied, and at that moment she seemed like a stupid person

"what I meant is that I don't give a shit about those stupid fan girls, but if I'm interested in a women then I will take my chances with her" he scratches the back of his head "and for the record I'm not a pervert, at the very least im 15% innocent"

"Shokkubīmu" she yells at him as she throws a beam of highly electrocuted lightning. Ace manages to dodge her attack and lands on his knees several feet's away.

"you cheater" he yells at her.

From the infirmary bed asuna watches the battle with addled eyes, it was hard for her to grasp what was going on, whether they were fighting seriously or fooling around.

"that idiot what is going on his mind" she grumbled "he can die for all I care"

"are you worried about him, mam" asks the nurse in the room causing asuna to gasp, the nurse quickly changed expressions from a smile to a frown "I'm sorry mam I didn't mean to frighten you"

"it's okay, it's just that I didn't see you there, in fact a didn't realize you were in the room" asuna replies to her with a smile "and call me asuna will you"

"yes ma" the nurse replied but was interrupted when asuna raised an eyebrow "I mean asuna-san" she corrected hesitantly

"that's more like it" asuna grins, she then turns around towards the screen as both ace and rin are either fighting physically or verbally "and for your question earlier, I think I might care for his well being but he can do whatever he wants for all I care, besides it's non of my business to interfere with his life style" she sigh's

the nurse chuckles at asuna's answer which was followed by a sigh, "I never met a patient as interesting as you" she says while placing her hand over her mouth to cover her smile.

"I take that as compliment" asuna smiles back. They both then turn to the screen when they hear ace complaining like a child.

"you, just make up your mind already, and stop treating me like a total idiot, if you want something just say it already, ahhh I cant think straight anymore" he whines and points his finger at rin.

Asuna face palms and hisses, "I take what I said about that moron back, just hurry up and die"

"ace-sama" the nurse whispers worriedly as she holds her fist in front of her face, between her mouth and chin. Asuna looks at her then back at the screen as a small smile made it's way to her face.

Meanwhile at the arena ace and rin fight at an increasingly steady pace, it seemed like they were fighting forever, it went from verbal attacks to sudden physical attacks which mostly shocked the crowds or had them laughing as rin did make ace look like a complete idiot.

"Hiken" he yells as he uses his signutare move by turning his fist to flames and launching a column of fire at rin.

"Eirina kata" she yells as she counter attacks by pointing her right index finger from down to up, then open her middle finger and moves her hand down. Suddenly a blade made of lightning appears cutting the column of fire in half sending each part the opposite direction, causing it to collide with the walls of the arena. The crowd at the front jerked back fearfully, they were scared and impressed at the same time.

"Shinka: Shiranui" ace throws two lances made from fire towards rin. She quickly jump up in the air, while in mid air she felt the heat rise, looking down ace had his index and middle fingers pointed at her and they were turned into fire at the tips, shooting out of them bullets made of fire.

"Higan" he said with a grin on his face, rin on the other hand was surprised, she launched her left hand on the air with her palm facing the attacks.

"it's useless" she states cockily with a grin "Purotekuto". She uses her right hand and swipes it side ways behind her left hand letting the palm of her right hand touch the back of her left hand. Before ace knew all of his bullets vanished, he looked surprised as rin landed on the ground swiftly.

"I told you so" she says as she swings her purple hair behind her back. Ace rolls his eyes and takes a few steps back while placing his right hand on his chin as if he was thinking. Rin stared at him and started to concentrate lightning at the palm of her hands

"maybe I should give it a try" he says as he removes his hand and scratches the back of his head.

"what are you spacing for, Kaminari nagare" she says cruelly as she shoots out a column of lightning in a similar way to ace's signature move only with both palms of her hands facing him. Ace on the other hand just stood there taking the hit, it was difficult to see weather he let the lightning to pass through him or actually got damaged with the attack, the air in the arena once again was filled with dust and sand

"do you really call that a powerful attack" ace emerges from the dust unharmed as he scratches the back of his head.

"as expected from a logia, huh" rin states unmoved in emotion with the same cruel eyes as the crowd looked in surprise. The crowd started cheering things about how great the match was and how strong ace and rin were

"wow he is indestructible" a man in the stands says

"that's whitebeards second division commander for you" another says in astonishment

"ace-sama is so strong" a few fan girls yell

"ace-sama" the rest of the fan girl squeal

"shut up and let the man focus" shanks yells at the girls who immediately shut up and sit down looking at the ground.

"sure that attack was strong enough to make me feel numb for a while even though it passed through me" ace states as he put his hand down

"relax soon enough with attacks stronger than those you will be a corpse like that women from a while ago" she replies to him harshly as she stares at him with cold-blooded eyes.

"that woman" ace whispers

"that blonde, for starters blondes are useless so why did she become a pirate" she mocks

"it's not blonde, but golden" he whispered again 'why did I just say that' he thought

"what difference does it make"

"a golden is 100 times stronger than a blonde" he replies coldly 'and has a stronger will and puts a great deal in her pride' he continued in his mind

"at least she is brighter than you" rin continues as she puts her hands out and makes her right fist hit the left palm of her hand, then she releases her fist making her right palm face ace while her left hand is around her wrist "Shōgeki tanken" she yells as sends few dagger shaped lightning towards ace at a very high speed. Ace swiftly dodges every one of them and lands on the grounds unharmed; he lifts an eyebrow at rin.

"so are you saying you are stronger than me" he asks in a low voice

"a thousand times stronger" she brags

"you know it's a mistake to trample over a mans pride" he says in a rough voice, he seemed angry at the fact that she acts in a self-arrogant demeanor.

"you being a man and have a pride oh please, the second you stepped into the field, you have thrown away any form of pride you have, also you gave up on being a man" she says with high confidence, raising her head up "you really aren't bright, it should've been obvious that after this its over for you, just like how I trashed that blonde's pride earlier, she has nothing left, you will be wishing you were dead just like she wished"

"you'll regret saying that" ace barked at her as he clenched his fists strongly "I will defiantly make you regret saying it"

* * *

***ace's POV***

you felt anger rush through your veins as you strongly clenched your fists, the way she talked all high and mighty, the fact that she insulted your male's pride, and the fact that she has been using asuna as a example of showing her strength while not knowing what asuna's intentions.

'you went and done it now, I don't give a shit if you're a woman, the law will not save you anymore from my wrath, I will rip you to shreds and feed you to the sea kings, I will not show you any mercy. now I'm not a man I'm a demon, a demon who will murder it's prey brutally. I will beat it into you, to never trample over a man's pride, or bad mouth my friends' you thought as you gave rin a death glare

"ahh, scary" she teases

"shut the fuck up" you reply coldly

"I don't want to " she pouts.

"Hiken" you mutter as you attack her by surprise, she quickly jumps out of the way but you were too fast for her to keep up "Higan" you say a little louder and shoot fire bullets at her.

"Purotekuto" she yells as she nullifies your attacks, she showed visible anger towards you as she glared at you. "that's dirty asshole" she growled

"in a pirates book of vocabulary there is no such thing as playing dirty"

"bastard, Denki-hō" she yells as she shoots ball of lightning at you, which you try to dodge but fail as you were ambushed from behind by arrows made of lightning, "Sasu yōna yajirushi" she speaks in a mental tone.

"what the-" you managed to say before being hit from all directions, even though the attacks passed through you it did hurt a little, the pain of electric shock waves soared through your body, they were unavoidable. "my body" you managed to choke as you held squeezed your right hand onto your left arm in pain while standing on one knee ,"tsssch" you hissed in pain.

"how does it feel that pain" she looks at you with wide eyes filled with insanity

"this is nothing" you jump back to your feet "until I defeat you I wont be defeated"

"will see about that" she yells as she puts her hands up in the air and summons some sort of circle with weird marks and characters up in the sky "Inazuma burēdoshawā" she yells.

Suddenly many lightning blades rain down towards you causing your body to twitch as each blade passes through you, and before you realize it you were on your knees and many violent attacks flew towards you followed with a maniac laugh.

"Sasu yōna yajirushi, Shōgeki tanken, Shokkubīmu, Shi no yari" she yells as she kept throwing attacks randomly towards you as she did with asuna, only this time they were followed by insane laughters that kept roaring in your mind.

"what a round of fierce attacks, is ace going to be alright" the announcer states as he watches in shock and fear. The crowd as well looked scared and shocked every one in their own way, while your crewmates and shanks had anger filled in their eyes. You hadn't noticed it but everything went black, your vision was getting blurry, "ace" you barely heard your friends call your name in worry

'is this it for me' you thought.

* * *

***your POV***

you watched in horror as rin started to attack ace, immobilizing him from his movement and attack him fiercely just as she did with you, only she followed her attacks with a crazy laugh, it was a scene you didn't want to see. Even though you were in the infirmary you can feel and smell the blood, you felt like vomiting but held back. After a while rin ceased her attacks and she had a psychotic grin at what she had accomplished.

"what did you say, kiddo" she said in a maniac way, that it made you want to punch her in the face, no you wanted to keep punching her until you felt satisfaction.

"ace don't bail on us" you heard his crewmates yell

"ace win"

"don't die ace"

"ace" "ace" "ace" they kept yelling his name waiting for response but there was no answer.

Slowly the dust started to clear away and a nightmare fell upon you, ace covered in blood, he was on his knees falling over in defeat. You tried to tell yourself that it was a nightmare, pinching your thighs several times really hard that a small cut appeared, you desperately shook your head but it didn't help. The nurse left the room running from the scene before her, you saw her tears flowing from her eyes unstopping, looking back at the screen only increased the pain in your heart, it felt like you were stabbed in the chest for some reason.

"ace" you whispered and without realizing a few tears rolled down your cheek.

* * *

**Ierōsupāku**: Yellow spark

**Kagerō**: Heat haze

**Shokkubīmu**: Shock beam

**Hiken**: Fire fist

**Eirina kata**: Sharp cutter

**Shinka: Shiranui: **Sacred fire: mysterious light at sea

**Higan**: Fire gun

**Purotekuto**: protect

**Kaminari nagare**: lightning stream

**Shōgeki tanken**: shock daggers

**Denki-hō**: electric canon

**Sasu yōna yajirushi**: piercing arrows

**Inazuma burēdoshawā**: shower of lightning blades

**Shi no yari**: death spear

* * *

**A/N: sorry for the stupid attack names. please review**


	15. ending the battle

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

_**Chapter 14: ending the battle**_

"ace" you whispered and without realizing a few tears rolled down your cheek. The harsh reality that fell upon you was difficult to take, a bloody ace falling over in defeat, it hurt so much that it felt as if you were stabbed in the chest. Tears kept pouring down non-stop, you felt sad, hurt, pained, angry, you wanted to scream, you wanted to punch someone, you couldn't think straight, your head felt like it was gonna explode of emotions, you didn't know what to feel.

"ace" you heard his team mates scream.

'don't die on me blockhead' you thought as you took both hands covering your mouth, by every passing second your eyes burnt more and more. You took in a deep breathe and let it out as you whipped your tears away, you sighed and followed it by a sniff that tried to hold back any tears.

"you promised me didn't you" you said in a low dry voice, looking at the screen where ace was lying unconscious and the judge was heading towards him to declare the winner, rin was standing behind them with a mischievous smirk across her face.

"stand up ace, you promised me that you would win" you said in a louder voice this time, you failed to hold back the tears and started crying heavily again "you promised me you would defeat her, that you wouldn't loose, stand up and keep your promise"

"oh it seems the judge had made his decision" the announcer says causing the crowd to roar in anger, specially the whitebeard and red haired pirates

"if you're a man of his word then stand the hell up and fight" you yelled, for some reason you believed he would hear your words.

"the winner is -" the judge says but was cut off

"hey wait, who said I'm done with" ace croaks as he twitched his fingers trying to regain control of his body.

At that moment you felt reassured, probably your words had reached him, that he might actually heard your voice and decided to fight back. It felt like there was a ray of light had made it way through to your heart and wrapped it up, you involuntary let out a sigh in relief, and a smile made its way across your face 'thank you' you thought.

"well the match is still on" the judge says as he runs away from the field.

* * *

***ace's POV***

Your body felt heavy, it was dark, you couldn't tell what is happening outside, you can barley hear the screams of your friends. You felt disappointed in yourself for losing in this way, no for breaking your promise, for many reasons you just felt disappointed. You didn't hurt when you finally collided with the ground 'If this is the end for me then i have no regrets, it was a good life'. If you had enough power you would've smiled right now.

"What are you doing blockhead" a voice in your head says

"What does it look like" you reply "and who are you"

"I'm your conscious"

"Then what do you expect me to do conscious" you asked yourself hoping to expect a good answer

"Stand up and fight"

"Why would i and besides how do i fight her"

"Because you promised that you will win, and second are you really in for some scolding later, i know for a person i am not in it"

"You do have a point" you chuckled "but from who will i receive scolding in the first place"

"Well from everyone specially asuna, she will be the most furious since you broke your promise to her"

"But how do i win, its impossible"

"Didn't you say you will try 'that' to find a way to defeat her"

"Well yeah and i found out a way but still"

"No buts, now wake up and go fight" your conscious yells at you.

You try to pull yourself back to reality after fighting in your head, slowly trying to regain your conscious by first twitching your fingers and lift your head to face the judge and rin, 'like hell will i go down now, so you better not yell at me woman' you thought.

"Hey wait, who said I'm done with" you managed to mutter. The judge looked at you surprise he expect to see you wake up, rin on the other hand had lost that mischievous smirk of her.

"Well the match is still on" the judge says and quickly leaves the field.

You gather every ounce of strength left and stand up, you look at rin and grin making her become irritated, she clenched her fists in anger and glares at you. Behind in the stands your friends smile, sigh and cry in relief, you see whitebeard smile and look at you in satisfaction, while shanks seemed to relax and sigh in relief with a broad smile.

"How can you still be standing" rin barks at you irritated.

"Because i have to keep my promise" you reply at her calmly

"Nonsense" she yells back at you "and why the hell are you smiling"

"I found out a way to defeat you" you say pointing at her right hand which had a small cut.

"What are you pointing at" she says holding her hand looking at the wound "this doesn't prove anything"

"I managed to hit you when you started attacking me like a nut-job"

"Meaning"

"You cant defend and attack at the same time, i also have a proof when asuna managed to hit you and that was when you were attacking her at the same time, meaning i have to risk myself in order to land a hit on you" you explained.

"You bastard" she gritted her teeth's as she gathered lightening in between the palms of her hands, showing many signs of anger and irritation "just die, Shi ha" she yells as she makes the lightning into a blade.

"so you are going on the offensive" you tease as you make your hand glow in greenish yellow light and create floating fireballs of the same color "Hotarubi" you smirk.

"I'll just cut them apart" she says as she starts swinging the blade of lightning around trying to cut the fireballs, only barely succeeding in cutting one.

"Hidaruma" you say and send all of the floating fireballs towards rin, she uses this chance to cut a few more but she didn't make it in time as the fireballs collided with her and exploded causing her to burn.

"aghh" she yells in agony and jumps back.

"there are still more" you say as the other round of fireballs approach her, she dissipated her sword but by then she had already been burned once again. You then sent another round of fireballs but she nullified it from within the smoke.

"so are we switching to the defensive" you ask

"shut up" she snarls

"I don't want to" you point your tongue out 'it is defiantly working, I just need to provoke her more so she can be offensive the whole time' you though

"I will make you" she growls

"you cant old hag" you tease, you can see her temper rising by her tomato red face and her fists clenching tightly by each second to the extent that her finger nails had dug into the flesh.

"for the record I'm 28, so I'm still young"

"is that so cuz I though asking a woman her age was rude" you say calmly as if you weren't trying to provoke her.

"well of course it is" she barks, her eyes were almost out of her extremely tomato-ish face.

"you really are stupid, weird, psyche, and a bitch on top of all that" you say in a cool, relaxed manner.

* * *

***third person POV***

asuna watches the fight from the infirmary bed laughing her heart out and was smiling in happiness. Her tears had faded away, and her pain and suffering were replaced with joy and relief.

"honesty" she tries to breathe normally but struggles for a while "this guy is something else"

"do you have a habit of talking to yourself or what" says a voice from the door causing her to jump in fear and then flinch in pain.

"relax" the voice says as he approaches asuna "I just came to see how you were doing"

"Claus don't scare me" she says as she puts her hand on her chest.

"I'm sorry" he chuckles

"shanks" you ask with a smile

"yeah" he nods and runs his hand through his hair.

"well I wasn't talking to myself" she says and Claus gives her a 'yeah right' look "I was thinking aloud"

"since I cant stay her for long, just lie down and rest" he says and grabs the blanket handing it over.

"I will once this idiot stops making me laugh at his idiocy and actually wins, he just needs her to go on offensive but the way he teases her are way to funny I cant stop myself"

"he's following your footsteps only that he is more cautious than you"

"I take that as a insult" she throws a pillow at him, but he grabs it.

"rest" he says putting the pillow back on the bed, and eyed her to lie down.

"if I do will you go" she lies on the pillow and pouts like a child

"I'm lucky to be your friend" he says as he heads towards the door, "get well soon"

"what do you take me for" she says as she watches him close the door

"my amazing friend" he shuts the door and quickly heads to the arena. As soon as asuna made sure he wasn't around she jumped and leaned on the headboard, with her knees up and hugged the pillow tightly resting her chin on it.

"to keep your promise, huh?" she whispered as she travelled into deep thoughts.

In the field the tension kept building up by every word ace would say, rin finally kicked the bucket and started to scream in distress, loosing her defensive posture into clenching her fists as she summons lightning which flowed all over her body.

"I will kill you" she screams and started to throw attacks randomly like earlier.

"that's what I want" he smirks and puts his index fingers in a cross shapes in front of him "Jūjika" he launches a column of cross shaped fire towards her before jumping in order to avoid her attacks.

"its useless, Eirina kata" she slices ace's attack, but before she can realize it a column of fire heads towards her.

"Hiken" he yells as his counter attack smashes into rin, but she immediately nullified it and a gust of wind flowed causing dust to fly around her.

"is that all you've got-" she asks sarcastically but as the smoke clears ace smacks her in the face causing her to back a few steps.

"I'm now officially the worst guy ever because I hit a woman" he teases

"your punch isn't as strong as that woman's punch" she says while rubbing the blood from her nose using the back of her hand.

"didn't you hear what I just said, I didn't hit you hard because it will ruin my reputation" he complains

"as if it isn't ruined already" she gathers lightning once again and attacks in a easy-to-figure pattern.

Ace swiftly dodges her attacks and throws flames and fireballs towards her, only to prove slightly effective. Rin on the other hand continues her assaults onto ace and cancels his attacks with her own. The fight was reaching it climax as both ends engage in furious methods of fighting, ace by enraging his opponent to drop her guard, and rin by using sneak attacks onto ace. After a few minutes of sparing both ace and rin break up to catch their breathe, they have been extremely exhausted as one of ace's wounds opened and started to bleed again, and rin having a few small burn marks sting her.

"you…. still have some….. fight in you…. after all of this….., plus…. your wound is open, it's just a matter of time… until you bleed…. to death" she says in between gasps for air.

"I will not die….., and you seem exhausted as well…, when will your magic energy come to an end" he replies her panting.

"it will never come to an end" she laughs once she regained her breathe.

"whoa only five minutes left, will ace win or will rin win. Or will this fight end in a DRAW. Lets watch it till the very end, I've never seen a fight as good as this by far~" the announcer yells in excitement

"well of course, almost being beaten an inch from his life, ace stands up again to fight, as if the young man will lose at the hands of a woman other than asuna-chan" the judge replies to him

"well I'm a fan of asuna-chwan, she is the most beautiful and strongest woman I ever met, with the exception of the pirate empress boa hancock, if ace is to lose at the hands of a woman it must be asuna-sama" the announcer chats with the judge

"well who isn't a fan of asuna-san, and you from –chwan to –sama, just make up your freakin' mind already" the judge replies "and asuna-san if you are listening get well soon, we all love you"

"will the both of you shut up already" ace yells at the two men who were exchanging thoughts about their beloved pirate girl.

"lets end this fire fist, Portgas D. Ace" rin asks coldly as she starts to gather intense amounts of magic energy into the palm of her hands which were extended outwards.

"I will finish this in an instant" he replies and creates great spiral flames beneath his feet.

"Kyūkyoku gihō" she grins as a large magic circle appears behind her.

"Dai Enkai " ace yells as he lifts the spiral flames to the palm of his hand creating a gigantic fireball like the sun "Entei"

"Kaminari no sen-nenka" she roars as over thousands of different lightning forms slowly appear from within the circle and start flying towards ace "die"

"like hell I would" ace yells as he hurls his mini sun towards rin.

Both attacks collide and cause a big explosion reducing the walls at the sides into rubbles, the earth started to shake, some people thought that whitebeard used his devil fruit powers but when they looked at him, they saw him surprised. Indeed whitebeard was surprised at the after effects of the attack.

"what is going on we cant see a thing~" the announcer yells as he covers his eyes from the dust.

The timer began to beep for the final 30 seconds and still the dust hasn't cleared yet, but from the looks of it the grounds must have surely collapsed. The beeper began to beep louder indicating 20 seconds left, the dust slowly started to clear and a silhouette could be shown but who did it belong to was unknown.

"who, who is it that is standing, I cant exactly tell who's figure that is, only 15 seconds left, just who is it that's left" the announcer states in curiosity. The entire arena was filled in suspense and tension and by every beep the timer made the tension increased. The beeper rang louder indicating the 10-second limit; finally the dust began to clear and, the shadow of a enormous hole in the middle of field with a silhouette standing at the edge can be seen.

* * *

**Shi ha**: Death blade

**Hotarubi**: Firefly light

**Hidaruma**: Fiery doll

**Jūjika**: Cross-fire

**Eirina kata**: Sharp cutter

**Hiken**: Fire fist

**Kyūkyoku gihō**: Ultimate technique

**Dai Enkai**: Great Flame Commandment

**Entei**: Flame Emperor

**Kaminari no sen-nenka**: A thousand years of thunder


	16. heartbreak

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

_**Chapter 15: heartbreak**_

***third person POV***

almost 10 seconds left and finally the dust started to clear, the silhouette of a huge crater and a person standing on the edge can be seen, the tension in the arena couldn't get any higher. The entire crowd and all spectators were concentrated on who is that person standing and where did the other disappear.

"oh my" the announcer states in surprise as he figured out who the person was. The crowd grew quieter as a few spectators leaned forward to have a better a view.

~beeep beeeeep~ the timer grew noisier indicating the last 5 seconds.

"5" the crowd began to count down

"this is amazing" the announcer says in astonishment

"4" the crowd chanted louder

"the winner is"

"3"

"the person standing is" he almost exploded of excitement.

"2" the smoke and dust finally cleared, the person standing was in clear view, and the crowd started to cheer.

"portgas d. ace" the announcer reveals in a loud cry of happiness, which was followed by the loud beep of timer saying 'the match is over'. Almost every one in the arena rejoiced with happiness, while kaido and his subordinates grieved for their loss.

"fire fist ace" the crowd kept chanting and cheering.

"you've done well ace"

"thank god you are fine"

"ace-samaaaa!"

"ace"

"that was a great show" the announcer utters in apprehension "this cheering just wont stop, this is how strong whitebeard's second division commander is"

* * *

***your POV***

the cheering of the crowd reached to the infirmary, happiness crossed your face as you saw ace standing on the edge of the crater. He looked awfully exhausted, his hair messed and sweaty, blood everywhere, some of his wounds opened once again while others scabbed, barely being able to balance himself from falling over.

"that hothead" you muttered to yourself as you sighed in relief, finally all of the tension that had been building up faded away.

Ace slowly walked away from the crater, his movements were jerky and wiggle. at the very bottom lies rin unconscious with burn marks on both of her hands, her body covered with blood, you couldn't help but pity her.

"you got what you deserve, bitch" you breathed.

You saw many people fling over the walls and run towards ace, a few of them were crying in happiness. They each embraced him on their own way, some hugged him, others gave him a pat on the shoulder, marco and jozu ruffled his hair and patted his back. You saw shanks and benn make their way toward him, they had a small exchange of words before shanks ruffled his hair and put a arm around him trying to give him a manly hug, as a smile crossed his face.

"hey shitty geezer what are you doing" you thought aloud

you saw nel and Claus approach him, his smile got bigger as he said a few words to Claus before bumping fists and patting each others backs in a manly hug. Nel slowly walked towards him with tears in her eyes, ace on the other hand stood there and looked at her emotionlessly, she closed the distance between them, ace looked at her confused, she stood on the edges of her toes and kissed his cheek, then put her arm his waist as she buried her head in his chest.

"eh?" you stared blankly at the sight before you. It was like there was hole punched in your heart it felt heavy and painful.

You saw ace looking at her in surprise, she was griping him tightly not letting go, he looked confused what to do with her. He lift his hands up to push her away but then he changed his mind and put one on her head to comfort her, a small smile crossed his face as he said something to her. Nel wiped her tears and looked up to him smiling and laughing. you looked at them in utter disgust, horror, hate, your emotions and feelings were all over the place; you immediately shut down the visual den den mushi.

"why" you asked yourself as you hugged your pillow and buried your face in it, holding back the tears but your efforts proved failure, you slowly sank into the bed covering yourself with the blanket and started crying in silent.

'why does it hurt, why does jealousy hurt this much, why am I even jealous in the first place, why?' you kept asking yourself

'I like you ace, why cant you see that' you lift your head up and take a very long deep breathe. Your eyes were filled with pain and sorrow.

"stupid me" you sighed and turned onto your back extending your arms out, looking at the ceiling.

"I forgot about my promise, I cant believe I almost broke it. Those tears aren't worth wasting for something as trivial as love, that's right I promised myself that I wont cry or get hurt over a guy, specially those who broke my heart. But ace did nothing wrong, it's not like I will be willing to die for him, but still…" you thought but were cut of by another voice

"men will still be men, and ace is no different" the voice says

"who are you" you asked

"I'm the real you, your conscious"

"you do have a point"

"what" the voice asks in surprise

"men will still be men, pirates will always be pirates, and ace will always be ace, being a man he always has this pride and over protective attitude, and being a pirate means he can never stay in one place, and that's why I like him"

"are you listening to yourself"

"yeah"

"you make no sense, you say you don't want to get hurt, but full in love with the guys who hurt girls"

"ace is"

"you saw it didn't you, with nel"

"he-"

"he was what, wasn't it clear"

"I" you couldn't reply because you knew she was right

"you what" she asked

"I don't know what to do around him anymore" you sniffed

"oi don't cry" she yells at you

"but it hurts, I don't want to feel like this any more"

in reality you started to cry once again, wiping the tears only for them to roll down again, you turn to your side and hug the pillow tightly, and sunk into the fight in your head.

"don't let it get you"

"what do you know, you cant understand what I'm feeling"

"idiot I am you, I can pretty much understand"

"huh" you chuckle

"you've changed from the inside ever since that incident"

"it's called growing up"

"it's called letting go and moving forward"

"anyways I was a stupid little kid back then"

"…."

"I've learned the hard way, I always do, this is what I get for being stupidly extremely stubborn"

"so what will you do know"

"I'll get over those two assholes, let them have fun fucking each other, I wont care, after the games are over I will challenge him and see who is the stronger, and well I will settle things with him, and move on"

"sounds like a good plan to me"

"thinking about all of this caused me a big headache, I better rest to recover fully so I don't have to stay in this slimy place"

"then go get some sleep"

"that's what I'm planning to do"

finally back in reality you lift your head up and head to the mirror, you look at your reflection and see that your eyes where burning red as well as your cheeks, you wiped the tears and sighed, smacking your face to snap out of your depression.

"this wont do, I am stronger than this" you muttered.

Turning around you headed to the messed up bed, fixing it up so you can sleep soundly, just as you wanted to climb into the bed you heard faint noises.

"I'm perfectly fine"

"but your covered in blood"

"I can walk by myself give me some space"

"okay"

"jeez"

"will you people shut up"

the voices kept arguing and by every second they got louder and clearer to hear. From the sounds of it you figured that it was ace, marco, jozu, and others with them, apparently they were arguing about ace being able to walk on his own or not.

"shit" you hissed as you lied to your side and covered yourself, 'no isn't the time for it' you thought.

It was a while but the voices finally passed and were next door, you gave out a deep breath that was stuck in your lungs for a while, snuggling into the blanket and closing your eyes, you finally fell asleep.

* * *

***ace's POV***

your friends finally left you alone as you were about to get patched up. After being sterilized from the blood, which only showed few wounds that had scabbed up, the nurses proceed to peeling them of to give your wounds a proper sterilization. You flinched and hissed in pain as the scabs came off, re-opining the wounds and the blood started to slowly pour out.

"even the fire fist ace feels pain" the nurse teases

"you just peeled the scab, it burns, stings, I don't know it - OWWW" you complained but stopped and yelped in pain as the alcohol came in contact with the wound.

"sorry but will you stay still sir" the nurse apologized and ordered you as she tightly held your back trying to cover the wound up.

"why doesn't my narcolepsy happen now when I need it" you complained to yourself as the nurse proceeded with patching you up.

"I'm almost done" she says as she stiches up the final wound.

"thank god" you jump and start heading to the door but then feel light headed slowly losing your balance, you used your right hand as a support holding to the wall while your other hand was on your forehead.

"uh sir, I didn't say I was done yet" says the nurse as she approaches you holding a syringe with some blue compound.

"what's that for" you ask

"this is a pain reliever, and you have lost a lot of blood, so you can only leave when we complete your blood transfer" she says.

"I got 2 units of XF{RH+} from the freezer, they wont give me anymore than that" says another nurse as she opens the door

"2 units would do" she replies to her

"um can I go to the room where my friend is resting and get the transfusion there" you asks

"first lets give you the anesthetic for starters and we'll go to your friend, but don't make any noise, you have already done enough, and what room is your friend in" she stretches her hand so you can give her your arm for her to inject the analgesic.

"um…room 23, her name is aunsa" you say giving her your arms. She holds it and injects the analgesic in your upper arm, you flinched at the force and density of the drug.

"you go to her ahead we will get things ready and come" she says as she pulls out the syringe.

You stood in front of room 23, thinking whether it was a good idea or not. Finally making up your mind you moved forward and was about to knock in the door when it slowly opened, shanks stood in front of you with a finger on his lips telling to be quiet. You nod and enter the room quietly, he closed the door behind you and made his way to the bed where his daughter was sleeping soundlessly.

"sorry" you whisper

"it's okay I was about to get bored" he whispers back

"how long has she been sleeping" you look at her, she looked like an innocent young child, then you noticed that her cheeks were red and there were dry tear marks 'was she crying' you thought

"probably during the match, when I asked Claus to check up on her, he told her to rest so maybe then, but anyhow when I came she was already sleeping"

"I see" you look at her before taking a seat next to shanks, who was already sitting at the side of the bed 'did she cry herself to sleep'

"something seems to be on your mind" he asks, snapping your train of thoughts

"no its just that I realized that she has been crying" you blurted

"you tell me was she crying" he glares at you

"when I left she was energetic and all that"

"then your off the hook" he smiles

"oh yeah how did you know I was at the door"

"haki, and why did you hesitate"

"I though maybe I was going to disturb her"

the door slowly opens and the nurse enters with two blood bags, she quietly makes her way towards you as she realized that asuna was sleeping, she put the blood bags down along with the equipment.

"your left hand sir" she says

"why do you need blood transfer" shanks asks as you give the nurse your hand

"your daughter took half of my blood and I lost a lot in the match today" you chuckle "as a matter of fact, those two bags were extra from the ones they got for her"

"hmm" he turns to face his sleeping daughter.

"ouch" you flinched when the nurse injected the syringe into your veins.

"be quiet sir"

"sorry" you apologize making sure you didn't wake asuna up. She hooked up the first bag and left the room, telling you that she will come back in 30 minutes when the first bag finishes, you nod as she leaves.

"sensitive are we" shanks teases

"what"

"it was just a needle for crying out loud"

"yeah, it was a needle when every single muscle in your body hurts like hell, even squeezing me or pinching me will make me fall in pain" you reply sarcastically.

"I would expect that after being hit by how many thousand volts of lightning"

"oh please" you moan as you sank down your chair. Shanks chuckled at you, he seemed amused at you, he was happy to have company for a while.

"at times you remind me of luffy"

"I miss the fool" you smile

"who doesn't, he makes the place around him lively"

"it's been almost 3 years since we caused trouble or dine 'n dashed together, it's around time that he should set sail and leave the village" you chuckle when remembering the days you two spend together.

Time flew by as you and shanks talked about luffy and your time with him, you had a hard time keeping your voices down. The nurse came to change the bag of blood, she even panicked thinking you were undergoing hyperventilation when she saw you breathing hardly due to laughing so hard.

"this isn't funny sir" she hisses

"sorry I cant help it" you chuckled

"now stay still or it will hurt" she grips your hand tightly

"oww, loosen the grip" you yowl in pain

"stay still"

"fine, owww owww agh" you complain at how hard she injected the syringe in your vein.

"I'll be back in around the same amount of time" she closes the door with a glare.

"scary" you tease

"you cry like a girl"

"shut up"

"…." Shanks stared blankly at you

"what" you asked feeling uncomfortable

"I was wondering why did you come her and not stayed on your own" he ask his tone full of curiosity

"well I thought I would have a good company, but you are more than good, I feel like I was talking to a guy who is slightly older than me not some geezer, no offense"

"none taken"

"hmmmm" asuna moans in her sleep as she turns and faces you, she looked so damned cute that it made you smile, she cuddled to the blanket failing to notice the world around her.

"why are you smiling" shanks asks as he strokes her hair

"she seems innocent and like a child"

"she is always like that"

"guess I get to be treated the hard way" you chuckle

"you still have to see the good side of hers, the funny one"

"how would you describe it" you ask him

"charming" he smiles looking at his daughter

'charming, why cant I see that, why are you hiding it' you thought to yourself, leaning back at the chair looking up to the ceiling.

"uhhh, guess I will never see that" you sighed

"you can if you spy on her, but don't ever think about it because I will personally give you the beating" he threatens

"why would I spy, do I look like a desperate pervert"

"that's what I though" he chuckles, you felt like a stupid boy, you opened your mouth to say something but then your stomach growled in hunger

"I haven't eaten a thing since the morning its almost 3 now, damn I'm so hungry" you complained patting your stomach with your other hand

"well everyone gets hungry, stay here for a minute I will go grab us some drinks" he says as he stands up and heading towards the door.

"just don't let me die" you tease

"I will think about it" he sticks his tongue out as he closes the door

you smile at the red haired and his great company, you turn to look at his daughter who was so into her sleep, a few strands of her hair fell on her face, you desperately resisted the urge to put them back. Slowly leaning toward her you softly remove the strands of hair and run you fingers through her hair before caressing her cheeks.

"cute" you muttered to yourself. it took you a while to realize what you said, you immediately draw back and look away, your eyes were wide open in shock or surprise at your actions.

'what the hell am I saying, no what the hell was I thinking, if shanks came in and saw me I will defiantly be dead, but why the hell did I do that in the first place' you thought.


	17. nightmare

_******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**_

* * *

_**Chapter 16: nightmare**_

***your POV***

everyone was partying celebrating the end of the third day, you sat on the roof of the pent house that whitebeard had rented, it was as twice as big as the one your crew rented, shanks was lying down beside you apparently he drank a little to much and was now in need of air.

"I'm gonna….hck…. die~" he moaned

"you've drank a little to much" you point your tongue out to him

"pumpkin pie…..hck, don't…hck…. harass me" he whines drunkenly

"look at yourself shitty geezer"

"eh?" he sits up straight and searches his clothes, even though he was drunk he looked serious for a while "shit where did I leave it"

"is everything alright shanks" you ask curiously

"I think I left my ring at ace's room, will you….hck….. go fetch it for me" he puts a hand over his forehead scratching it.

"just don't fall over" you warned

"I…hck…wont" he smiles and lies down looking at the stars.

You made sure he wont fall down or move from his place before heading to ace's room, the place was crowded you had no idea where ace's room was, you checked three rooms but they were wasted efforts. in one of the rooms you opened lied to people on bed making out, it felt awkward because the woman was shirtless and a man was over her, you immediately closed the door your face was flushed with a thousand shades of red.

"what's wrong tomato face" marco startles you from behind.

"I, eh just opened the door on two people who were about to have sex" you blurted.

"you what, oh that's embarrassing" he chuckled "so who were those two"

"like hell I would see" you slapped him in the back of his head "pervert"

"ouch" her held his head "so what are you looking for"

"shanks forgot something in ace's room so I went to go get it for that drunken bastard" you sighed

"is that so" he winks

"you asshole don't get the wrong idea" you slapped him once again

"sorry" he whines "it's the third room, on the second half at the left"

"thanks, oh and make sure that ace doesn't know" you jump from the small steps at the far end and make your way to the stairs.

"third room at the left" you muttered as you made your way to the second half of the floor.

You found the door of his room, and stood there for a while checking if this was it, after confirming it you didn't bother to knock because you guessed that no one was in there, at least you didn't hear or smell anything from inside. You slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open making your way in, it was dark the lights have been turned of, to the side you found the switch and turned the lights on, but what you saw was unexpected. Nel was lying on the bed half naked and ace was on top of her, she had her hands inside the back of his pants in his ass, ace on the other hand was about to take her skirt off; they were kissing each other when you entered, making out would be a better term, he slowly shifted to nibbling on her neck and making his way to her collarbone and she let a low moan as he found her sensitive spot. They stopped as soon as the lights were on and they both looked at you in utter shock just as you looked at them with a disgusted.

'what the hell is this' you thought trying to take a few steps away.

"cant let you go after seeing us" ace quickly slams the door shut before you can even 'sorry'.

"I didn't see anything" you lied

"so freezing in utter disgust counts as not seeing anything" nel sarcastically replies as she head to the drawer opening it, she grabbed a sheathed dagger and waved it around in circles. "so what shall we do with you"

"I didn't mean it" you froze in your place

"why did you come in the first place, and ever heard of knocking" ace asks mockingly

"shanks told me to get something from your room, and I didn't think anyone was inside" you swallowed

"yeah right" nel mocks

"I swear"

"but what you've done is pretty much unforgivable" ace says as he instantly stands in front of you. He grabs your throat and strangles you up in the air by one hand, you try to push his hand away but he just tightened his grip.

"stop, you're…..suffocating me" you choked "ace"

"well I guess I will enjoy watching you suffer for a while" nel teases as she unsheathes the dagger and runs it tip along your cheeks cutting them deeply, and blood started to flow from them. "this will defiantly scar" she teased

"someone, anyone, shanks, ben, anyone help" you cried as you closed your eyes with the tears streaming down your face mixing with the blood.

"it's useless no one can hear you" a voice said as ace crashed you through the wall and into the living room. To your surprise the place was empty, not a single person was there, it felt like a haunted place.

"where is everyone" you muttered as you sat up

"gone" the voice said, you looked up to see ace who was grinning with evil intent written all over his face "so how does it feel"

"that voice" you shock in terror trying to crawl backwards

"seems you realized" says the voice in ace's body, as he bends down on his knees.

"earl" you said in hoarse voice "but why do you like ace?"

"well this is his body darling" he puts a finger on your chin lifting your face so that you both looked each other in the eye

"but why" you croaked

"revenge, remember you killed me darling" he pulled your face closer to his and whispered in your ears.

"I-I" you shuttered not knowing what to say

"there are no need for explanations asuna" nel comes in with a tissue wiping the dagger from your blood.

Just when you were about to scream, the door of the pent house opened and the person who entered was none other than shanks, you were happy that tears rolled down your face, but it didn't last long when he walked towards nel and stood in front of her, it seemed as if he ignored you or that you were perhaps invisible. He buts his arm on her chin lifting her up as she threw her hands over her neck and there lips met each other in a sultry kiss.

"shanks" you muttered

they stayed like that for a long while until she broke the kiss for air, she was smiling at him in a malicious smile. He then turned around to you and pretended as if nothing happened; nel had her arm around his shoulder and looked at you with taunting eyes, she had a smirk that would kill any person at sight.

"shanks what is the meaning of this" you yelled at him

"who are you and what are you talking about" he asks, your eyes widened at what he said. 'is he serious, doesn't he remember me' you thought

"it's me asuna, you're daughter" you screamed at him, tears flowing through your eyes. The whole room was quiet; it took you a while to realize what you had blurted, you looked up to see all three people looking at you like some sort of freak.

"daughter" shanks burst into laughter breaking the silence in the room, both nel and earl in ace's body burst into laughter. "I don't have a daughter, and I don't remember falling in love with a women that we would have a child"

"but I" you kept crying

"nice try kiddo but I'm not in for playing games" he says as he heads towards the door to leave "I just came to check on my girlfriend"

"she almost had sex with ace er….earl well this guy" you say pointing at ace

"didn't I make it clear I'm not going to play games" he glares at you

"but I-" you tried to explain but he had already left

"so lets continue where we left" earl claps his hands together as he stands up

"just get it over earl" nel says as she throws him the dagger and he caught it.

"don't need it" he throws it away "I've got a better plan"

"what are you going to do" you asked, fear had taken control of your entire body, you couldn't move all you did was tremble in fear and cry, you were completely useless and weak.

"this" he grabs you from your throat with his left hand and lifts you up in the air, you didn't have enough energy to struggle against his grip instead you obediently let him strangle you; he transformed his right hand into flames and grinned, he got his hand up to your face to set it on fire.

"stop" you screamed

"burn away"

* * *

"AHH" your eyes opened as you jumped from your bed, tears kept flowing from your face which was covered with sweat, you kept panting hardly until you saw that someone's head was resting on the middle of the bed, looking closely it was shanks and he was sleeping.

"a nightmare" you whispered still panting and crying

"mmmm" he moaned as he lifted his head up. You clenched your fists and crawled back only to hit the headboard, even though you knew it was a nightmare you couldn't help but back away, you were still scared.

'stay away from me' you thought as you pulled your legs closer to your chest.

"is everything alright" he asks with a bit of concern in his voice. You shake your had and flinch backwards as he tries to approach you.

"sorry" you apologized your voice still dry

"did something happen"

"a nightmare" you replied

"it's alright" he pulls you in a hug and runs his hand through your back comforting you, it took a moment of silence and the you burst out crying.

"shanks" you sniffed after crying your heart out.

"yeah"

"do you love me" you asked

"more than my life" you buried your face in his chest

"will you protect me no matter what happens, or whatever I do"

"I will not let you die, I swear on my life"

you burst into tears and shanks tried to calm you down, it took him a while till he succeed, you wiped the tears from your eyes. he was sitting on the bed with a worried expression, after finally calming down you lied down your head on his lap, he kept playing with a few locks of your hair.

"why are you here not spending time with the others partying and drinking" you sighed

"cant a father stay and watch his wounded daughter" he smiles and you smile back "I don't know if you want to talk about it but will you tell me about your nightmare" he asked with concern in his voice.

"no it's okay" you fake a smile as you sat up straight facing him, you didn't want to remember that awful nightmare but you needed advice, no you wanted him to know about it. you slowly started to explain everything and in detail, his eyes opened wide in shock after you had finished telling him about the nightmare, you on the other hand desperately fought the urge to tremble and cry in fear.

"and then when I woke up I couldn't get around what happened, it seemed all to real" you explained, your voice was now dull full of sadness.

"I'm not good at giving advice, but I have a plan" he jumps out of the bed and stretches his hands for you

"eh?" you looked confused

"let's not stay here any longer, go back to the hotel, somewhere else where you will feel safe" he smiles, you grab his hand and get of the bed.

You put on some slippers and shanks took of his cape putting it over you, just as you were about to head it out someone knocked on it and opened the door, your face turned pale as you took a step backward and bumped into shanks, you lift your head to see him, he smiled and put his hand on your shoulder to reassure you that it is safe, you looked at the door to see the nurse coming in.

"you shouldn't leave bed" she said after having a complete inspection on you

"you see, my subordinate doesn't want to stay here anymore" shanks replies to her, she looks at you as if she was doubting his words.

"I want to check out….something like that" you paused no knowing whether what you said was right

"first I need to change the bandages and have a quick cheek up" she finally answered after a while of thinking

"thank you, I really appreciate it believe me" you smiled

"then I will go get my equipment" she said as she dashed out of the room, shanks took his cape back and you sat on the bed throwing the slippers off, after five minutes the nurse came back with some gauzes, scissors, and other stuff in a tray.

"sir can you please leave the room" she politely ordered, you shock your head in fear but shanks smiled

"I will stand right over the other side of the door, if anything happens I will burst in right away" he said and took of closing the door behind him, you can sense him leaning in the door which made you feel safe.

"this wont take long, we would finish faster if you helped" the nurse smiles as she grabs the gauzes, you removed your shirt and she started to undo the bandages, her eyes widened as most of your wounds had pretty much healed.

"you looked surprised" you managed a smile

"your wounds" was all she said

"ahhahaha I heal quickly so things like this wont hurt me as much" you scratched the back of your head.

"then that's good to hear" she proceeded with changing the places that needed changing and removed the ones that healed.

"ouch" you hissed as she changed the one on your shoulder.

"is everything alright" shanks yelled

"yeah, it's just my shoulder" you confirmed

"will you keep it down sir, there are other patients" the nurse snarled

"sorry" he said in a lower tone.

"okay done" she says as she puts all the dirty gauzes in the tray and you put on your shirt "mam will you try not to drink any alcoholics for three days"

"what three days" you looked at her shocked

"at least today, tomorrow we will repeat the check up and we will see"

"okay, thanks" you smiled and opened the door, shanks almost fell over as he was using the door as his means of support to stand "you should've used your haki to predict that I'm coming" you hissed

"sorry I spaced out" he chuckles "so lets get going"

"idiot" you muttered.

After finishing some paperwork you left the building, the cold air breeze hit your legs and caused you to shiver; after all you were wearing a mini skirt and a loose button up t-shirt and some sandals, you had your hair loosely open and straightened, the sky had little remains of the sunset and the town was glowing in the night as if the lights were gold.

"cold" you shivered

"here" shanks put his cape over you

"thanks" you smiled

as you walked back into town shanks never stopped glaring at anyone who dared to look at you with a dirty mind, you felt uncomfortable by the looks but thanks to your father you felt safe, there was even this drunk man who approached you but as soon as he tried to touch you he was knocked out by shanks fist.

"so what do you want to do" he asked

"I want to eat first" you said as your stomach growled

"okay then lets head to the bar" you frowned at what he said, and he looked worried "is there something wrong if you don't want to it's okay with me" he panicked

"it's alright it's just that I'm not allowed to drink for today….at least" you paused at your disappointment

"if it helps I will not drink today" he pats your shoulder

"okay lets go eat" you announced cheerily and took a head start.


	18. announcment - Author Note

**hi there guys, i'm sorry that this isn't really a chapter but an announcement i am currently looking for a beta-reader if anyone out there can tell me one or volunteer, as i was proof-reading my chapters i realised that there are grammar mistakes and i need help in writing details and once again english is only my second language. so please if anyone knows any beta-reader that is interested or has some time please tell me**

* * *

**also i wanted to say that this story is divided into two parts. the first is during the games and the second after the games, where then it will be closely in line with the original series. i was at first thinking shall i make the two parts in one story or put a sequel to it but in the end i decided to make it into one story, this way its is much better for me. and as soon as i get a beta reader i will start posting again so in other words it is on hiatus until i get a beta reader and i already have until chapter 25 already typed to be beta'd **


	19. encounter

**A/N: this chapter has not been beta'd i proof read it almost more than 4 times and i am dedicating it to my 1000 view, i am also posting this now because i wont have enough time to work on this story as i will be studying for my exams, after they are done i will try to dedicate most of my time into this story as i will have finished school earlier****  
**

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

_**Chapter 17: encounter **_

You walked along with shanks to the usual bar, there were a few eyes on you but you ignored them, deciding to take a short cut you pulled shanks into an alley and walked a little faster.

"what's the hurry" he tried to keep up with you

"I don't like the way those people look at me like I'm some sort of freak show" you gritted

"it's you being over cautious"

"I'm not" you fought back

"so when that man stood up you went to a defensive mode is not being over cautious" he states

"what i thought he was going to attack or harass me" you said and he raised and eyebrow "okay maybe I'm a little cautious"

"asuna"

"fine I'm acting as if something is going to happen but I cant help it"

"it's just a nightmare, none of that is going to be real"

"shanks I'm pretty much sure nel and I can't stand each other, so I wont be surprised if someday she will try to kill me"

"I wont let her" he chuckled

you looked at him and understood what he meant by his words, you smiled as your remembered what happened a few years back when you met shanks and joined his crew.

* * *

**flashback**

you were 17 and a half when you finally entered the new world, ace had took a head start after destroying your coating and it had to be re-done. Once you have entered the new world you asked for information regarding shanks location, a few people seemed confused as why would a girl like me would search for an infamous pirate like shanks. After a while of search you had found him but it wasn't the right time, the crew were celebrating that one of their comrades went on a mission and would come back after a month, which seemed weird.

"umm I want to speak with your captain" you asked a man who was in his mid-twenties and had brown messy hair.

"who are you" he asked

"tell him a visitor" you replied

"does the captain know you?"

"m-maybe I'm not sure" you hesitated

"sorry then no can do" he turns to head to the party

"wait" you yelled at him

"what now" he sighed

"if I gave you something to show him so he can talk will you take care of it" you asked hoping he will say yes

"what is that something" he asked with cautiousness

"this" you took your locket off and hold it in the palm of your hand

"let me see it"

"it's important to me and I don't let anyone see what's inside" you looked down avoiding eye contact

"I will take good care of it, but I cannot promise you that he will talk with you"

"okay but promise you wont see it" you handed him the locket, he took of at the instant but you couldn't help but worry about your locket

"oh what's your name, I'm Claus" he yells

"asuna" you yell back

"okay asuna make yourself feel at home and enjoy the party"

you didn't feel like waiting and so you helped yourself and joined the party, you drank and chatted with a few members making friends of lucky roo who was wondering around, he remarked that you seemed similar from some place but he didn't seem to remember.

"sorry I took long but the captain wants to see you immediately" Claus comes from behind you, his face was serious

"did I do something wrong" your cheeks were slightly red - you were not drunk yet.

"I don't know, just follow me" he said and led you through to the main camp sight were a drunken shanks looked serious, his eyes widened when he saw you.

"so let's make a long story short shall we" he said as Claus left, you slightly shivered by the look in his eyes, he seemed dead serious

"same here I don't want to make things long" you stated and took a seat

"so where did you get this from" he asked pulling the locket from his pocket

"it's a memento" you swallowed trying to spit the truth out "of my mother"

"so what was her name" he asked a bit curious and interested in what you had to say

"heart d. aika" you muttered "and this is why I'm here shanks"

"how old are you and when where you born" he stood up

"17 and I was born 2 February"

"that's the day aika died" he whispered to himself

"she died giving birth from internal bleeding" you swallowed "it's my fault and I know you probably will hate me-"

"so you are still alive" he cut you and pulled you in a hug, tears started to roll down his cheeks "thank you"

"it's not like I want to call you dad or something I just wanted to meet you, we have our separate lives" you pushed him away.

"benn" he yelled and a tall muscular black / grey haired man enters

"what's wrong" he looks at you

"see she is aika's and mine" he cheerfully opens the locket and shows the picture to benn, his eyes widened in surprise "she just looks like her"

"but I thought"

"yeah a woman named miles took me in and well hid me from the world for safety reasons that's what she told me" you state

"oh how is she doing" benn asks "it feel nostalgic"

"great as ever, still she is harsh at times specially when it comes to training"

"she looks just like you except for her hair end eyes" benn chuckles

"this calls for a toast, lets party people" he jumps out of the tent and joins the party "of course your crew can join"

"is that a good idea captain you are already drunk enough" benn states with a worried expression

"why not, it's fun to have a double hangover" you imply

"defiantly his daughter" benn states looking at you and shanks who joined the party

to your luck the party lasted three days and you pretty much suffered a strong hangover, you washed your face at the area you were given and looked at the sky it was still dawn. The pain in your head only got stronger by thinking so you thought you would watch the sunrise and take the whole day easy. You found a place at the edge of the cliff sitting down and leaning back using your hands as support while your feet dangled down

"what are you doing up there" a voice comes from behind, you turn your head to see who it was, and it was none other than Claus

"looking at the sunrise, what about you still suffering from the hangover" you chuckle and turn back to watch the sunrise

"you mean hangovers" he smiles and sits down beside you "mind if"

"it's okay"

"its been a very long time since we partied this hard" he states

"why" you ask

"there is this member nel, she doesn't allow us to party this hard or much as a matter of fact" he chuckles

"so she is the one went for some mission for a month"

"yeah, and I heard something amazing" he looks at you

"what" you smile

"shanks is going to invite you to join the crew"

"WHAT" you choked in surprise

"it was fun having you around, and you will need some strong companions to sail through the new world, don't be such a meanie please asuna-san join us"

"that was rather unexpected, but I will think about it" you smiled

"everyone in this crew watches the other persons back, we believe in each other and we will protect each other at any cost"

after a week you somehow ended joining the red haired pirates and became one of their main fighters, but the crew's rejoice and happiness didn't last long as a woman in her mid-twenties with green back waist length hair and a curvy body with big breasts. From just looking at her you had a bad feeling, she seemed so full of herself and you couldn't help but hate her.

"so who the hell are you and what are you doing, this isn't a place for kids you know" she meanly asked

"I'm a new member asuna, I recently joined, nice to meet you" you put a fake smile as you sat on the edge of the railings with one leg crossed and the other swinging above the sea.

"I'm nel and just for your information aside from the captain and the first mates orders I come third got it"

"you don't seem that much of a leader or a fighter to me, well either way I wasn't told about you being third in command" you provoked her

"listen kiddo, I can crush you if a want to but it will ruin my image"

"is that so" you raised an eyebrow "pirates have really bad images by the way"

"listen kid my bounty is 250 million berry, so watch out"

"asuna is 475 million" Claus joins the conversation and you smile

"what but she is just a kid" nel was shocked at the amount of your bounty

"she is on par with fire fist ace, heck they have the same bounty only that ace is 475.25 million" he points at you as he sits beside you

"I will judge her strength when I see it" she snarls

"already missed it" you point at the sunken warships behind in the distance

"took them all by herself with little effort" claus chuckles

"well I didn't see it" she stomps away. You and claus start laughing who were joined with benn and yasopp

"you really are something else, to be able stand up to nel" yasopp compliments

"she seems like a bitch" you muttered

"I can't stand her" claus expresses his mind

"well either way if she dares hurt you, I don't want to imagine what would happen to her" benn sighs

"why" you asked confused

"because I will not stay still and watch" shanks joins the conversation "so anyone in for a party"

"get the sake out" you yelled, soon enough the entire crew was partying heavily, you couldn't help but feel some eyes watching you the whole time, sure it made you feel uncomfortable but this was a party and you wanted to have fun. Soon enough the entire crew became fond of you and they all preferred you over nel, which caused the strike of rivalry in her case; at least that is what she thinks of you is: a small little fucking rival bitch who wants to kill her crush.

* * *

**end flashback**

"you sure were dead for a while back then" you teased

"I would literally be dead without partying or drinking" he added

"so dinner is on you" you face shanks and walked backwards

"are you giving me any other choice" he smiled

"nah" you said before turn around on your heeks and bumping into someone , you landed on your ass on the floor

"you okay" that someone asks, you lift your head to see ace standing, your face turns pale as you remember the nightmare, you immediately jump and run behind shanks. "did I do something wrong" he asks a little scared of shanks

"it's ace he wont do a thing relax" he snaps you out of your trauma

"sorry" you muttered gripping his hand tightly "it's just that ace looked a bit pissed off, that it scared me"

"I'm sorry it's just that I got tiered of hearing nel's ranting, my head was about to explode and I wanted to eat" his stomach growled in the middle of his sentence, you chuckle "and I finally managed to get away and right now I am looking for some place to eat peacefully" he sighed

"who is at the bar" you asked looking at the floor, still hiding behind your father.

"almost everyone from both crews and some other people, if you want to get a headache then you are welcome there" he teases

"I'm not going there, let's head to the shore there is some restaurant and a bar down there, I heard it has good food" you pulled shanks away

"whatever you want" he says and looks at ace "come join us"

"shanks" you stop and stand in front of him.

"it's alright I'm here and so is ace" he puts his hand on your shoulder

"exactly it's ace"

"this is the real ace not the one in your nightmare, he will do no harm". You puffed

"is everything alright" ace interrupts

"yeah it's just that she had a nightmare where a person who looked like you tried to kill her and there were a few people with that person" shanks explained

"shanks" you elbowed him

"what he needs to know"

"no he doesn't"

"I guess I will take my leave if it makes you feel safe" he says and steps out of the way

"no stay, you need to help her get over that trauma of hers" shanks stops ace from leaving

"it's not a trauma but fine I guess it might help a little" you sighed

"actually it is a minor trauma, because you are suffering physiologically from that nightmare" ace starts to explain but you slapped him at the back of his head "ouch what was that for" he whines

"that's annoying Mr. know it all" you tease

"and that hurt's Ms. I have a trauma" he teases back.

"whatever I'm hungry" you sigh and head to the harbour, shank and ace look at each other and shrug to each other before following your lead.


	20. new tattoo

**yay i finished exams and well almost school, an early start for my summer meaning more time to write and read, so the first thing i did is log on and give this chapter a final proof read and post it. i think i am going to give up on searching for a beta reader, and just proof read a million times till i get satisfied by my story, well i better shut up and let you read on**

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

_**Chapter 18: new tattoo**_

You made your way to the shore and waited for almost what seemed eternity for the lazy duo to arrive, once they were in sight you stood off from the fence you were relaxing at and put a hand over your hip "that took you long enough" you growled

"It was a five minute wait, and you walk way too fast than usual" ace argued

"Sorry cant help it if I'm not a sissy like you two" you pointed at the two men in front of you

"Just for your information, we got lost twice"

"actually three times" shanks corrected. You raised an eyebrow

"I doesn't make a difference"

"That's because you were slow" you assert, "A turtle is even faster than the both of ya"

"Ace is right you walked way to fast specially when reaching corners" shanks sighed

"Can we cut the arguing and eat" ace asked and took the lead.

"Do you even know where we are going" you hurried next to him

"Well I will figure it out" he growled

* * *

**Shanks POV**

You watched as your daughter caught up with ace, they were arguing non-stop for food, you smiled at the fact that those two finally got along – well at least stop killing each other the second they meet.

"you coming" you heard your daughter yell as she and ace were standing next to each other waiting for you

"yeah" you walked towards them

"what's with you shanks you space out a lot today" your daughter asks turning towards you and walks backwards

"that's dangerous you might trip" ace warns but she sticks her tongue out

"I keep wondering about many things that changed" you answered her "and ace does have a point"

"That's boring" she pouts and turns the right way, she then stopped and stared at a certain building, you looked at it standing next to her as ace took off then realized that you were standing, so he came back up.

"what's wrong" he asks

"ask her" shanks sighs

"you two can go ahead" she said in a low voice

"I have a bad feeling about this" you say

"I will check out a shop and come back" she takes a few steps forward

"what business do you have with a tattoo shop" you ask

"I just want to check something" she smiled

"just say you think you want to have another tattoo" ace sighs

"That's non of your business portgas" she elbowed him in the stomach, he put his arm around his stomach and had a painful expression written all over his face.

"ugh just not to big or offensive tattoo got it" you ordered

"I promise" she waves as she ran off.

"you okay ace" you look at him with concern

"this is nothing I just need to eat now" he confirms as he stood up straight and took a deep breath

"thought so" you smile and pat his shoulder "lets go"

* * *

**Your POV**

You stood in front of the tattoo shop, looking for the open or closed sign but you didn't find one, so you knocked the door and opened it. The shop looked quite simple with a front desk which had a hot cup of coffee that still gave off steam and three doors and a stair, you guessed that there are three operation rooms and top level is where the workers live.

"um…excuse me is there anyone here" you asked 'stupid me of course there is a cup of hot coffee at the desk'

"dad we have a costumer" a little boy with jet black messy hair says hiding behind the room under the stairs

"give me a second" a voice yells from the upper level

"take your time sir" you replied to the man.

"umm…how are you feeling" asks the boy shyly

"fine" you smiled at him "what's your name"

"akarui"

"eh it means light"

"you are from the red haired pirates aren't I right" he slowly approaches you

"Yup, so you are a fan of the games" you bend down on your knees to reach his level and put a hand on his head and mess his hair

"Should you be out of bed after all today you were extremely wounded today" he asked with concern in his voice

"You shouldn't bother costumers akarui" says a voice from behind you, there stood a tall man in his mid-thirties with similar jet-black hair to his son, only that his hair was longer and was tied in a ponytail. He wore dark green trousers tucked in similar boots and wore a yellow V-neck vest.

"it's okay he didn't bother me" you stand up and face the man

"so how may I help you" he asks

"I want to see your collection and I was wondering if you can give me a custom made tattoo" you replied politely

"we do custom made and I will get our catalogue so please take a seat, and we have a woman but she is taking a break she should be back in around 5 minutes if it's okay with you" the man heads behind the desk and grabs a big book

'wow that is some catalogue' you though as you took it from him, you felt as if your hands will fall off, akarui took a seat next to you and looked at the catalogue with you.

"akarui stop bothering her" his father orders.

"no it's completely okay" you glare at the man who after that became quiet

"Okay" you closed the book after looking at the drawings, and stood up making your way to the man who was standing behind the desk sipping his coffee and putting the catalogue over the desk

"so interested in any of the designs" he asks

"I think I will go with a custom made" you reply

"If you wouldn't mind could you please draw it" he pulls a pencil and paper for you.

"thanks" you pulled the piece of paper and pencil, you drew a S with a small anchor under the upper curve "I want it to be at the back of my neck close to my shoulder"

"okay I will get everything ready" he excused himself and left entering the room to the left. After a while a young woman who looked at around your age perhaps younger entered the shop, she had a slender figure with dark brown waist length hair and grey eyes, she wore a simple outfit consisting of combat boots and a pair of black shorts with a matching tank top, she smelled like cigars, drugs and alcohol, you instantly knew she was rebelling

"sorry I'm late my boyfriend didn't let me go" she apologized '_just say you still want to fuck him' you _thought as the shop owner opened the door.

"I will talk with you later young lady but now you have a costumer" he growls at her

"jeez stop acting like you're my father" she hissed and led you to the room.

"so were do you want this design" she asked rather rudely as she tied her hair in a bun.

"listen kiddo I get it you want to go back fucking your boyfriend and I understand that the owner of the shop is annoying, but do the job well" you replied to her in the same manner she talked to you. "and I want it over here" you pointed to the right side of the back of your neck, it seems that the scolding did the job as she sighed and mumbled sorry in a way no person with normal hearing can hear though you weren't of normal hearing.

"it's just that he is to over protective and wants to control my life" she sighed as you took off your shirt and lied down on the bed crossing your arms and resting your head on them. "even though he is my stepfather he tells me what to do and is just over possessive"

"tell me about it" you chuckle now interested in the brunette's history and looking for a way to make a conversation rather than stay in silence

"well for starters he needs to keep me on check, every 30 minutes he calls using a den den mushi, he once even stitched a vivre card on my shirt" she laughs and starts with her work

"I feel lucky that I was raised by my mums friend but believe me she is a pain in the ass, all she ever did was train me"

"why what about your parents"

"no dad and no mum" you lied the part about your dad

"oh sorry about it" she apologized with guilt

"what about you"

"when I was little my dad died fishing and my mum passed away 3 years ago"

"sorry about that"

"so how does it feel being one of the strongest pirate girls" she asks

"let's see it has some pros and cons, so which one do you want me to start with"

"cons"

"Well most of the crew are men and perverts but it sometimes help as they will do whatever you will say, and there are many other woman who feel jealous and ready to kill you if they ever have the chance, and then there are the marines who never let us in peace, those assholes never give up"

"that pretty much sucks, and the pros"

"eh I've got an amount of people under my command, I can do whatever I want whenever I feel like it, nobody is controlling me except the captain and the vice captain they are an exception, I get to see many place most of the time, and most importantly I can party as much as I want, even having multiple hangovers at the same time"

"so what was your record of multiple hangovers" she asks curiously

"15" you said full of pride

"wow and you are still standing alive" she said with visible shock

"that's nothing" your answer was followed by a moment of silence

"so what does this tattoo resemble or mean" she asks breaking the silence

"it's a memento of my mother and her friend who took care of me" you lied again

"how come"

"S stands for my mothers name and the anchor resembles the shop her friend owns"

"and where is that"

"well I'm not sure about it know but it used to be in west blue" you then continued talking about many things and she seemed to enjoy it as much as you did

"done" she says as she cleans it with alcohol before covering it

"so don't let it be in contact with water for 24 – 28 hours" she says as you sit up and put your shirt on.

"so how much will it cost" you ask

"2000 beri" she says

"wow you are cheap" you say stunned

"I know and that's"

"Here I will give you 5000 keep the rest for yourself" you cut her off and give her the money.

"but I cant" she protested but stopped when you raised and eyebrow "thank you"

"no thank you" you wave and leave the room.

~at the restaurant~

you spotted ace and shanks sitting at the table, shanks was drinking sake and ace was stuffing his face with different types of food. You made your way towards them and sat between them.

"took you long enough" ace speaks with his mouth full

"so what's the food" you ask as you pulled the menu "and do you ever have manners"

"so what tattoo did you get?" shanks asks as he plays with the bottle of sake

"not telling" you teased and threw the menu on the table then pulled a meat loaf from ace who glared at you and started eating

"get your own" he snarls with food in his mouth as you tried to once again steal his food

"since its shanks treat you won't mind will ya" you ask shanks with a smirk across your face

"I don't like where this will end up" he states

"waiter, I want all the main course dishes on this menu and when I finish I want all the dessert there is okay" you pulled a waiter who was walking by

"Immediately" he wet his pants in fear and shock as he ran into the kitchen, shanks and ace looked at you with broad eyes

"what" you asked as you played with the bone in your mouth "I am dying of hunger"

"I didn't know you can eat" ace teased with a little shock

"just because it's my treat doesn't mean you can take all that is on the menu" shanks complain but you ignore him and sigh

"hey shanks do something" ace complains

"leave her and that bottomless stomach of hers be" he gave up and began sulking

"sorry but I haven't eaten a thing since breakfast which is what, nothing" you complained

"it's alright just fill that endless pit you call stomach" he teases

"shanks" both you and ace yell in unison, the whole restaurant became quiet and stared at the table

"what's your problem portgas" you growl at him

"you're stealing my food" he snarls as he pulls another meat stick that was in your hand. "you owe me five meat sticks"

"okay just wait for my order" you exhale from all the arguing and from boredom, it took them a while before your food has arrived and you started digging in and fought with ace every few seconds as you both attempted to steal each other's food. in about 15 minutes you finished quarter of the main course and you were still hungry, ace had fallen asleep five minutes ago and you used it as a chance to eat without fighting for your food.

"so I'm putting the substitute player in tomorrow and you get some rest" shanks finally speaks after sulking in silence and playing with his bottle

"great cuz I'm not in the mood for tomorrow" you struggled in trying to opening the crab from it's shell

"shit I fell asleep" ace drowsily says as he lifts his head from his bowl of pasta, and continues eating. He then looks at you and chuckles "what the hell are you trying to do"

"what does it look like" you struggled even harder

"give it to me" he extends his hand to you "I will do it"

"how do I know you wont eat it" you asked pulling the crab backwards into a protective position

"do you trust me or not" he seemed serious. You sighed and gave him the plate of three crabs to open for you, he barely needed any force to open them.

"but how" you gaped

"lets say I know some sort of trick" he chuckled

"bastard" you lightly punched him in the shoulder. You finished eating the main course and started with the desserts, you took your time tasting each one and it was one meal that you and ace didn't fight over as you each had different tastes in dessert for example you hated red velvet jelly where he would actually eat them, and he hated ice cream with caramel sauce which you loved; so there was a eat n' share in that course.

"13450 beri" shanks almost cried at seeing the bill, he gave the man the check and when you left the restaurant he began to sulk once again "you two are ruthless" he frowned as you and ace walked a few steps ahead of him

"yeah and I don't know who spent about 1000 beri on just sake" you teased

"says the person who ordered the entire main course and dessert course" ace harassed you

"oh and this comes from the person who feel asleep in his soup twice, pasta three times and cake once" you began to pick on him, he started to laugh at how the people's reaction were when he woke up. "I'm surprised at the fact that you are still alive"

"guess I will see you guys tomorrow" he yawns "narcolepsy increases when I feel sleepy"

"see you tomorrow" shanks wave, you just stand and smile "we should head back we already spent almost 3 hours eating"

"you've got a point" you yawned and began walking towards the direction of the hotel

"so what is your new tattoo" he asks out of nowhere

"I will show it to you tomorrow when I remove the cover" you state

"okay but I just want to know what it is" he pouts, you sigh and smile.

"you" he looked confused at what you said, but before he could say anything you started walking faster and a smile crossed your face 'this is the closest I ever been to you both, and I want to get closer after all I love you both, thank you for tonight' you thought.

* * *

**yeah i know that shanks is a little ooc in this chapter but he isn't actually sulking given the fact that he is drunk, it's his way to say i'm sad that i am going to be broke after this, and please review i need to know how can i improve the plot line of this story. and i would like to thank all those who read this story so far**


	21. fifth morning

**A/N: this chapter was not beta readed i only proof read it**

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 19: fifth morning**

"mmmm" you moaned as you covered your face with what you thought was a blanket, the bed was hard and there was this some edge that stopped you from turning to the other side.

"wake up lazy ass" says a voice as it slaps your face lightly

"wha" you moaned as you opened your eyes to spot Claus standing above you, you turn around to find yourself in the middle of the living room asleep on the sofa '_slept last night on the sofa, no wonder I feel crappy_'. Your back hurt you from the sofa, you sat up straight and realized that you were using shanks cape as a blanket.

"you awake now" he asks with concern, you nod as you stretch your back. "so what where you doing sleeping on thee sofa last night" he asks

"eh…I was exhausted last night and the first thing I did was lie on the sofa and I guess I slept without noticing" you massaged your forehead

"I see what time did you arrive last night and why are you not in the infirmary"

"I will tell you the details later" you whispered and he nodded. "I got sick of that place so I left, luckily I had shanks to help me and when I arrived here it was about 10.45 somewhere around that time"

"oh now I see, the rest of us arrived at 11.30 we found you sleeping and so we left you, shanks was sitting on the counter drunk and looking at the bottle of sake gloomily" he pointed at the counter and you chuckled. "something wrong or funny happened"

"treated me for dinner, wasted almost 10000 beri" you stand up and head to the room but suddenly stopped and swallowed, "nel" you mouthed Claus as you pointed to the door

"left already, it's 8.30 and she said she had some business to take care off" he chuckled "but why"

"I'll explain everything later"

"is it a dream or are you really in a skirt" benn teases as he leaves his room

"very funny"

"your neck" he points to the back of your neck

"oh this, got a new tattoo" you touch the cover before entering the room

"wh-" Claus almost started but shanks cut him off by opening the door of his room and yawning and you closed the door of your room

"don't bother asking she didn't even tell me, and Claus can you throw me my cape over" he points to the cape on the sofa.

"okay" Claus grabs the cape and throws it of to shanks before taking his leave, after a while of talking benn also takes his leave, meanwhile shanks sat on the table waiting for you.

You took a bath quickly avoiding the place where your tattoo is, as the water trickled down your skin your mind wandered of remembering last night and what happened, broken pictures of ace and shanks flashed through your head.

'_that face, that smile, I wanted last night to last longer, it was the closest I ever been to that shitty geezer and flame-head, even though I told myself that I no longer care about him, he just had to make me fall in love with him all over again. It was fun and that is all what matters now, I hope tonight will be fun as well'_ you thought as a smile crossed your face. You closed the tap and went into the room, you pulled a pair of black jorts with a matching tank top, and a white loose crop top with a smiley face on the right corner of the shirt. You combed your hair into low pigtails, and put on a pair of black ankle length combat boots

"sorry I took long" you hurried out of the door, spotting shanks on the sofa playing with a bottle of sake

"it's okay" he replies as he sits up straight

"is there something wrong shanks you seemed I don't know, down since last night" you ask feeling slightly guilty

"I'm perfectly fine" he shock his head but his voice betrayed him

"shanks I may have only known you for three years but I can tell when something is wrong, I'm your daughter so tell me" you raised an eyebrow

"I wasn't able to do anything" he sighed as he finally gave in, you looked at him confused not knowing what he meant "I wasn't able to do anything to protect you I never was able to, not during that incident not yesterday not ever" his voice softened.

"what do you mean" you asked with shock and confusion as you stood in front of him "an what does yesterday has to do with it"

"I'm saying that I'm pretty much a useless father, yesterday I couldn't give you my blood when you need some urgently, I wasn't able to cheer you up from that nightmare" he paused for a while and took a deep breathe "even when that incident happened I wasn't able to do a thing, I was pretty much useless"

"dad" you whispered looking at him with tearful eyes, he looked you in the eyes and said nothing "I love you no matter what" you said as you embraced him and you couldn't hold back the tears anymore "useless my ass, who was it that last night cheered me out of my nightmare, who protected me from those thugs and who was it who treated me for dinner, treated me like a little princess"

"I don't know what to say" he sighed as he ruffled his hair before lifting your face up so you were facing him "sorry that I made you worry"

"it's alright" you shock your head before breaking away

"you've changed a lot since that incident, but I'm glad at how you changed" he patted your head

"let's head out" you took off to the door

"the infirmary first they need to get you checked up"

"ugh….'Kay" you whined

"don't be such a baby" he teases, you stick your tongue out as you leave the penthouse

* * *

**~at the infirmary~**

"you pretty much have healed" the nurse says in surprise and amazement after she completed the check up "but I still cant believe that you went and got a tattoo it might have damaged your nerves or slowed down your recovery rate" she states.

"but nothing happened" you whined

"well just make sure you don't come back here anytime sooner" she sighs with a smile

"got it" you say before leaving the building and head running to town

* * *

you walked around town entering which seemed dead as either most people were in the arena watching the games or watching them through visual den den mushi, strolling in the streets of the deadly town which luckily had it stores open, there were a few shops that interested you, and there was this one where you got yourself a new outfit, it consisted of black boyshorts, a zip-up halter neck shirt with a high collar that had a belt directly under your breasts, and had a cloth wrapped around the waist with the same belt above it, the cloth reached slightly below the knees acting as a kind of skirt but was open from the middle, it had matching thigh length boots and long gloves that reached your upper arm, which can be worn with arm guard. The entire outfit was purple with white and gold trimmings, it also appears like a sleeveless coat with boots and gloves.*

"thank you" you smiled as the shop owner gave you the bag with your new outfit.

"come shop here anytime you want" she replied.

"I will" you say as you exited the shop and the bell rang.

You walked around town for a little longer before deciding to head to the bar and grab yourself a drink, you opened the door and the bell tinkled. The bar was not to crowded and they were all watching the games through the visual den den mushi, once you entered all eyes shifted to you before returning to the screen.

"so what is going on" you asked the bartender as you took a seat at the corner.

"the competition part just ended, your crew first, whitebeard second, and kaido got third and fourth, it wasn't interesting" the bartender replied as he place a cup of rum

"how come" you ask taking a sip of rum

"a sharp shooting contest, yasopp dominated" he shrugged as he took a cup and started cleaning it "so want something to eat"

"half the usual portion" you finish your cup of rum before handing it to him

"that's weird, want another" he hold the cup

"I'm laying of the sake for today"

"is that so" he raises an eyebrow as he places your order

"I need to recover my energy, as I used my time yesterday to heal my wounds, today I will try to recover my strength"

"then wont a full portion be better" he asks

"I already ate a while back, plus I just ate a strawberry cake 30 minutes ago"

"okay one half portion usual coming up" Wendy comes carrying a tray of a different mix of foods

"thanks" you smile

"how you feeling? missed last night poor ace-kun almost got killed of nel-chan's blabbering" she chuckled "somehow be managed to sneak out and never seen him since them"

"better thanks for asking, and yeah ran into him last night he seemed as if he was about to explode"

"is that so" she smirks "shanks didn't come either which seemed weird"

"oh c'mon stop giving me that look, I just bumped into him accidentally I was walking backwards while talking with shanks and when I tried to turn the right way round which was at the corner I crashed into him and landed on the floor"

"I think he was running so that's why you no he crashed into you"

"doesn't matter who is at fault a-"

"trying to protect him are we" she grins as she takes a seat in front of you "and why were you with shanks"

"who will sign my release papers" you smirked at her "and no way in hell will I protect the asshole"

"he was fighting on your behalf yesterday"

"well I didn't ask him to" you replied coldly trying to hide your blush 'fighting on my behalf huh, well he did promise me that he would win'

"okay finish up the battle parts are about to start, today are tag battles" she stands up and leaves.

You finished your meal quickly and took a seat among the crowd who were enthusiastic about the match ups, in your opinion they were nothing special most of them are somehow one sided, not even nel who was paired up with Claus bothered to use their full strength. And so the fifth day ended with not much interest only that overall in the first place whitebeard, second your crew, third kaido, fourth big mam, fifth kaido. And so most pirates went to get ready for the upcoming ball but not you, sitting lazily at the bar thinking of heading back or waiting for your friends who are surely going to come.

* * *

**A/N: the outfit i described is the same as to what erza scarlet from fairy tail wears during the first day of GMG, it's the best way to describe it, the only difference her is there is no fairytail logo and rather than panties she wears shorts. thats all dont forget to review and maybe i will update again later at night i dont know i will see**


	22. shopping

**A/N: so yeah i know i said i will see if i will update at night and guess what i was stuck in my room i couldn't go out because there were workers at the home and decided to proof read this chapter and post it. i posted chapter 19 at around 11.30 am and now is 5:15 pm, this is what boredom does to a person, anyhow enjoy the double update**

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 20: shopping**

You sat lazily on the table playing with the bottle of sake while waiting for your friend who you hoped will come, it has been almost 30 minutes since the games fifth day finished. You whined like a child every few minutes and was scolded at '_they better not ditch me here_' you thought, but as you were about to give up the door flung open and a pissed nel was standing in front of you, you spotted three figures behind the door but didn't bother to know who they were.

"how may I help you" you asked lazily while glaring at her

"you're coming with me" she grabs hold of your wrist and pulls you to the door, but you pull it away harshly, she stops and turns around to face you "why did you stop?"

"what do you want from me" you sighed

"did you hit your head last night or was the sofa uncomfortable to sleep in" she mocks, you felt like punching her in the face but managed to hold of your anger.

"neither" you reply emotionlessly "so what is that you want"

"tonight is the ball silly" she chuckles "and we need to go shopping while you need to get a make over"

"anything but a make over" you whine as she drags you out of the door, there you see that three men you spotted earlier were none other than Claus, ace and marco who apparently got dragged just like you

"so what are the three stooges doing here" you ask pointing at the three men

"rule number one: always ask a man how you look in a dress" she replies holding her index finger

"here we go" you rolled your eyes, all three men chuckle

"haha not funny"

"jeez cant take a joke or what" you sigh

"listen young lady you need to grow up and start acting like a woman rather than this" she gestures to your whole body

"you just gestured at me as a whole"

"exactly you got to stop acting like a spoiled child, one day you will end up in big trouble because of that, hell you might get killed" she scolded

"what are you my mother" you spat back but then realization hit you at what you said and memories from that nightmare crept back, your face turned pale.

"is everything alright" nel waves her hand in front of your face "your looking pale"

"sorry just something in my mind" you shook your head, ace who had an idea of what ran through your mind gave you worried look, but you returned it with a smile, marco elbowed ace on the shoulder and looked at him with a curious expression.

"I can always listen you know" she says and turns around and gets a head start, you roll your eyes before she turns around and motions with her head "come on turtles" you sigh and follow along with all three men

"is there something between you two" marco whispers as he gestures to ace who was walking ahead of you

"as if" you quickly shook your head

"so does this count as later" Claus whispers from behind causing you to jump

"not yet" you sigh and speed up your pace catching up to ace

"you okay, was it that nightmare" he mutters so only you can hear him

"yeah" you frown looking at the ground as your expression turns to that of pain and sorrow. You walked side by side for a while until marco poked ace on his shoulder and asked the boy to slow down.

"asked her said nothing, so is there something between you two" he whispers as he had his arms around ace shoulder in a brotherly way

"no, why" ace answers him back with curiosity of what is on his friends mind

"you two seem to…..how do I put it…like get along very well and share secrets" ace stares blankly at marco "you two have been together lately"

"are not" ace yells back at marco before shrugging his hands of with a slight blush on his face, both you and nel along with Claus stare at the two whitebeard pirates wondering what they are talking about.

"oh cute" nel walks over to ace and runs her finger over his cheeks, obviously flirting with him. '_cute my ass, now get your hand off him before I make a scene bitch' _you yelled inwardly

"burning are we" marco whispers as he points to your fists that were clenched tightly, you realize what you were doing and so you loosen your fists

"shut up" you chuckle and lightly punched his shoulder before turning away and continue

"aww they are so cute together"

"wow she is so lucky"

"I so want to be her" the fan girls squealed in jealousy, you felt like punching each and everyone of them specially the bitch they were talking about, you didn't realize that your fists were clenched stronger and that your teeth were gritted strongly.

"dying" marco teased

"is someone jealous" Claus joins the harassment session

"oh no way" marco smirks slyly

"you love" Claus points at ace with a slightly shocked expression

"sad that your boyfriend is cheating on you" with this you finally exploded and landed really strong punches on the two boys, your face was in millions of shades of red as you towered on the two boys lying on the ground in pain.

"hell would I" you yelled at them two with your foot on Marco's face, the entire street looked at you as if you were some sort of freak show, a few people mumbled some things but stopped once you glared at them.

"I feel sorry for the two men"

"no I feel sorry for her boyfriend"

"that is if she had one" another girl added to her friend as they giggled from the corner, they seemed like those spoiled girls who have everything they want and never experienced pain in their life.

"what was that" you cracked your knuckles as you approached them with a deathly stare, their expression turned to that of fear.

"um…nothing" they swallowed hard and tried to back away but you had them cornered, they were panting in fear clinging to their lives desperately "we didn't mean, please spare us" they cried but you just ignored them "we will do anything" they pleaded

'_anything_' you thought and a malicious smirk crossed your face, you walked closer to them and they shitted their pants even more "is that so" you ask evilly and both girls nodded in unison, their eyes were all watery "then give me all of your money and jewelry" you extended your hands towards them.

"like we" one of the girls shouted back but stopped when you raised an eyebrow at her "okay" she whispered as she gave you her wallet and removed her necklace, watch, ring and other jewelry.

"thanks, see you later" you waved them goodbye before returning to your two beaten up companions who were still suffering and clutching their stomachs on the floor, you lightly kicked Marco before bending down to him

"I'm so sorry" he muttered

"so I guess this is enough to teach you that next time you harass me sexually I will beat you even harder, got it blue turkey" you teased "same goes for you Santa" you turned to face Claus who was lying behind you.

"a good thing I'm on good terms with you" ace says nervously as he approaches you along with nel

"what do you mean with sexual harassment" nel asks

"oh you don't want to know" you smile as you stand up and pulling the money you just stole from two girls "got us around 35000 in cash and those jewels will cost around hmmm….I'd say at least 90000 so I roughly got around a hundred twenty thousand"

"lets first go exchange those jewels you stole" nel smirks before heading to the exchange Centre.

* * *

"I got the money so I get to keep it" you exclaim but nel insists on splitting it

"what will you do with 234067 beri" she argues back

"does it matter, I will do whatever I want with this money"

"girls girls will you stop it" ace tries to stop the fight and acts as the hero of the day

"tell her that we need to share the money" nel asks ace flirtatiously

"she got the money so she has every right to keep it" he defends you, which slightly shocked you along with Claus and marco who were gawking

"but it's not fair" she whined like a child

"besides she owes me 25130 so that makes her mm…209 thousand around that much" he lied and turned to face you with a smile

"here you go" you gave him 25500 beri to make nel believe him

"why does she owe you" nel asked out of suspicion

"ugh you see last night i kinda" you tried to think up of another lie but then nel raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip as if she saw through it

"when I left she bumped into me at the corner and asked for money, I was just going to give her 5000 but she promised to give me double so gave her all my cash which was at the time 12560" ace quickly covers up

"you guys saw each other last night" she growls

"unintentionally, if she looks where she is walking she wouldn't bump into me" ace defended of fear of what might happen between you and nel

"oh I bumped you, and who was it that was running between alleys" you argued with ace, there was a staring contents between you and ace

"okay then lets get going" Marco breaks the tension as he pulls you through the streets

* * *

"thanks man" you smile at blonde who was holding your wrist "but you can let go"

"oh sorry" he lets go quickly and turns around waiting for ace and Claus "I don't get why the bitch is so fixated on you, doesn't she know how to get her own money"

"oh she is a professional prostitute" you sarcastically reply and marco chuckles "I'm serious she sleeps with many men and sometimes she pays them or they pay her"

"don't tell me, ace"

"probably" you sigh and nod

"actually she just wants to fuck him for a while" Claus joins the conversation, you jumped because you didn't sense him "sorry"

"who will fuck who" ace who heard a little of your conversation asks

"the devil" you rolled your eyes

"not funny" he pouts, you can't help but chuckle at his reaction

"what's going on here" nel walks from the corner sweating, you guessed that ace had abandoned her "and where did you guys run of to the first place"

"well I was dragged by marco" you point at marco and the said blond lifts his hands in the air

"followed them" Claus points at you and marco

"turned left" ace simply says avoiding her face '_just say you ran away_' you thought and chuckled inwardly

"well whatever hope you guys aren't planning on ditching me specially you ace and asuna"

"wha… why me" you whined

"because I said so, and if you try anything I will tell shanks and you will receive punishment and do not say I didn't warn you" she warned in a mother tone you and Claus snorted only to be glared at

"may we continue" you sigh and nel continues '_shanks punish me my ass, he will not let you lay a finger on me and here you threaten to punish me, you're still a kid nel you outta stop being naïve and face reality_' you thought '_nah last part is meant for me, as if the jackass will be interested in me he is stuck forever with the bitch_'

"we're here" nel says snapping you out of your train of thoughts

"eh when huh" you looked around not noticing you have arrived at the shop

"you will notice if you stopped daydreaming and what is going on your mind the whole time" nel sarcastically replies

"girls" ace warns, nel pouts before pulling you into the shop

"how 'bout this" she sighs as she pulls out a long purple V-neck dress with a tear at the left thigh and was decorated with floral patterns. It was almost the 20th dress she pulled out but you didn't like any of them, you shook your head. "is there anything you like" she pouted

"these dresses are just way to girly, frills, embroidery and all of that shit no thank you" you said with a big X of your hands

"you are a girl, so start dressing up like one" she sighs

"I will check another store" you says after giving up on this store

"I will be here if you needed anything, unlike you I found several nice dresses" she sighed approving of your plan and then teased at the last part, you nod before turning around and eyeing Claus to tag along.

"we will go along with her" Claus jumps from his seat as he grabs ace's hand, you looked at Claus as why ace

"what" you exclaim

"I get it you can go but why ace" she asks

"cuz I want to talk to him and it would be more interesting if your date didn't know what you are wearing" he remarked

"oh then see you tonight" she waves and you leave the shop followed by the two men. You walked a while before entering a small shop, it had casual and designer outfits along with dresses; you looked around the shacks and shelves before grabbing a few outfits.

"so does this now count as later" Claus asks as if he gave up on this later of yours.

"yes, ace explain to him about what happened last night" you say before entering the changing room

"but why me and what part" he asked

"all of it, the nightmare included" you pop your head from the curtain

"what nightmare" Claus exclaims

"ace will tell you" you rolled your eyes before closing the curtain and stripping

"we will walk around in the shop looking for a dress" ace said emphasizing the word 'dress'

"whatever" you yelled at them

**ace's POV**

asuna dismissed you to explain to Claus about last night, you started walking in between the shelves looking for a nice dress as you began to explain to Claus what happened, and through that stroll you would give the woman in charge a few dresses for asuna to try.

"so why do you know of that nightmare" Claus asks curiously

"shanks said that I need to help ease the trauma" you sigh

"you ease a trauma oh please" he teases, you lightly punched his arm

"but it worked" you smiled and sat on the chair in front of the changing room

"so what tattoo did you get, asuna" Claus asks asuna as he takes a seat next to you

"not telling shanks is the first person to see" she chuckles

"still that nightmare, I'm amazed at how you reacted to that gloomy woman" he boasts "you're strong you know that"

"I was so close to killing the bitch today" she says as she opens the curtain, she was wearing a red sequins dress, it was long sleeved and was thigh length, it exposed her entire back, entirely plane and simple with matching red & black laced heels "so what do you think" she gestured to the dress

"wow" Claus muttered, his eyes were open in shock at the beautiful woman standing in front of him, she slightly blushed

"beautiful" you muttered without realizing, she blushed harder as a smile found it's way to her face. After realizing that you said what was in your mind out lout you blinked a few times before "I mean the dress is beautiful on you" you corrected

"so whose choice was it" she asks

"the freckled boy" the woman in charge says as she makes her way "and indeed you look marvelous"

"it was nothing" you mumble trying to avoid eye contact, you can tell that asuna was smiling or at least what she was thinking '_hope she isn't furious at me_' you thought and imagined the worst case scenario, you vigorously shock the idea out of your head

"thanks, I like it and guess I'm going to settle on this one" she says before closing the curtains and changing back to her normal clothes

"I was wondering something how come you are always with asuna lately" Claus whispers

"beats me" you shrug

"you don't happen to like her do you" the brown haired man asks you curiously, immediately your heart began to beat faster '_what does he mean by like, sure my heart races every time I see her, she is strong, kind of funny, beautiful, smart and kinda cute when she smile. Oh crap_' you thought when you came to the conclusion

"hell no" you vigorously shock your head as you denied the truth '_great now things will be awkward between us, just what I need_' you fought down the fire that was arising in your heart, and when you were about to say something, the curtains opened and the woman who stole your heart came out. Claus walked over and took her dress to the counter leaving you alone with her, you felt like you were about to explode you no longer knew how to act '_curse you Claus look at what you made me realize'_ she looked at you with her eyes opened wide in shock "is there something wrong" you hesitantly asked

"you're on fire" she lowly said, you tilted your head in confusion "you're literally on fire flame brain" she yells pointing to the chair, and hell was she right you were burning along with the chair

"oh shit" you jump trying to extinguish the fire in the chair and the one on you , you can hear her chuckle at your reactions "lost control of my devil fruit" you sheepishly laughed

"I can clearly see that" she smiles and looks at the half burned chair "so what do we do with that now"

"um…" you tried to think of a way but just adored the way she said 'we' and started to trail of on a different train of thoughts, but were snapped out of it when her fingers were snapping in front of you, you turn and stare at her stupidly.

"hello, broken chair remember" she waves her hands in front of your face

"oh yeah right forgot about it" you pathetically reply "hmm.. I say hide it, we did nothing"

"I will be at the counter waiting for you" she says before leaving you with the broken chair 'waiting for you' her words echoed in your mind and you rearranged her sentence to be ' I will be waiting for you' you smiled at he few thoughts that popped in your mind.

"snap out of it" you slapped yourself hardly before fixing the chair problem and head to the counter and then her words rang into your mind.


	23. out of this world

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 21: out of this world**

**ace's POV**

"snap out of it" you slapped yourself hardly before fixing the chair problem and head to the counter and then her words rang into your mind. You shock your head vigorously and focused on the given task, you spotted a door at the far corner opening it you found it full of empty boxes or boxes filled with junk and old things '_the store room_' you thought and smirked, grabbing the chair you carefully hid it in between the boxes of junk. You closed the door and took a step forward before coming to a halt and get your mind clear '_there is no way in hell does she share the same feelings as I do_, for all I know she hates me' you thought

* * *

"if that's so then why bother" that same voice from back then said

"you tell me conscious, why am I so bothered" you replied

"hm you love her and that is why you are thinking a lot in it"

"huh"

"why did you fight for her sake yesterday"

"because I promised her to win"

"and why did you do that"

"I don't know I just did it, because-"

"because you wanted to cheer her up"

"because I had some feelings back then but I didn't think it was love"

"let me ask you this: how long have you loved her"

you tried to think of the time and after a while it hit you, you gasped inwardly as if you just noticed something "how stupid am I"

"eh" your conscious sounded confused

"I've been madly in love with that women for almost 3 years now, and just now did I notice that"

"what do you mean three years I am you but I thought you hated-" your conscious was taking it pretty hard

"when I first met her I was like who is this woman and what is a weakling like her doing in the grand line no what is she doing by being a pirate and how does she has a bounty that rivals mine, but then she proved me wrong and on a certain island, when we fought I came to admire her and as time passed by this admiration turned into love, but I have been denying it all the time that is why we keep fighting, and that was why we acted casually because I didn't admit the truth. But now that we started to open up to each other, no I gave up on denying the truth that I want to get her attention the right way"

"ahh now I see, but what do you mean get her attention the right way"

"the reason I was fighting with her was to get her attention to me. Provoking her, harassing her, torment her, and all of that was to get her attention"

" so mad that you don't know how to express your feelings to her"

"so here is the question conscious: how do I act around her"

"the usual way you act and when you feel you are ready tell her how you truly feel"

"but what if she denies me"

"you didn't ask her yet" your conscious replies in a pissed tone

"dude even though you are me you are some how like a wise old man" you tease before snapping back into reality.

* * *

You took a deep breathe before walking to the counter, there you saw asuna in a mid thigh coat, it was navy blue with two columns of golden buttons reaching the waist, it had golden trimmings and reached around her thighs, she turned round to face you.

"what do you think, I'll wear it over the dress" she asks

"but isn't the point of the dress is to show" you ask

"idiot do you want me to freeze to death"

"ahhh" you seemed like a stupid person "it looks rich"

she smiles as she takes of the coat and puts it on the counter, she talked with the cashier before turning to you with the bags along with Claus.

"so that thing" she whispers motioning her head to the dressing room section

"taken care of" you reply

"good then lets leave" she walks of to the door along with Claus, you followed them and ran to the two who were about to head to the shop where they left nel and marco '_oh shit, he is defiantly going to kill me_' you thought as you remembered that your comrade is spending almost an a hour with a psychologically disordered person

"so how much did it cost" you blurted

"the jacket 56800, the dress 75745 and the heels 15677 that is a total of 148222 after all they are designer outfits but the shop owner gave us a 20% discount so it turned out to be 118500" she replies using her fingers as a calculator to help her count the big numbers, she looked like a 5 year old trying to count to ten, in other words mesmerizing.

"gives her around 90500 for-" Claus said but she cut him off

"buying sake and throwing a mini party" she enthusiastically exclaim

"no I was saying to buy some jewelry, just a pair of earrings" he corrects her

"what about the sake and the party" she pouts childishly, you felt like chuckling at her adorable face

"I still got around 25500 remember you can take them back" you say

"nah you keep them" she shakes her head

"sure" you ask her while looking at the ground, your hands were in your pockets and you were playing with a stone by your shoes

"1000% sure" she nods

"if you say so" you sigh and continue kicking the rock.

* * *

**your POV**

you felt that something is wrong with ace, you couldn't help but worry he started acting weird ever since the morning and he started spacing out ever since you got out of the changing room, '_no he started spacing out and trying to avoid me when I was changing and Claus – oh no that blockhead didn't do or say something did he_' you thought and felt like face palming yourself

"is everything alright ace" you wave your hand in front of ace's face, he lifts his face up to you and stares at you without any emotions "yo D snap out if it" you snap your fingers causing his face to jerk back slightly

"eh…what did you say" he asks you absent mindedly

"I was saying that your mind and body are not in the same place" you sighed before poking the side of your forehead gesturing to your brain

"ahh I need a refreshment" he massages his forehead and looks up to with a confused expression "and what the hell is D"

"your middle name isiot" you chuckle "and how 'bout this a light punch on your head followed by cold water should do"

"what–" he lazily asks but was cut off by your fist over his head followed by a cold bottle of water spilled in his head, he fell on the floor while holding the area where you hit him "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR" he yells at you

"back into reality now" you teased

"yeah, but that wasn't necessary thank you so much" he sarcastically replies

"well later" you rolled your eyes and gave him your back '_well that was some reaction better than what I expected, but still he seemed blunt and out of this world moments ago_'

"you're really harsh asuna-san" Claus hesitantly states

"the kid was spacing I just had to knock some sense into him" you coldly replied

"hey I'm not a kid, and for the record I'm older than you" ace exclaims from behind you, you turn around and smirk at him

"is that so" you wickedly grin

"January first" he states prideful

"damn, just a month" you hissed, he tilt his head slightly confused "February second" you sigh

"and what does age has to do with this" Claus asks with a confused expression

"I have no idea" you reply straightforwardly

"you two are defiantly not from this world" he mumbles as he turns away making the moment seem awkward

"okay lets go to a jewelry shop" you say breaking the tension and awkwardness in the situation, both boys nod and follow you.

You entered a small jewelry shop you looked through the pieces from accessories to diamonds to gemstones and so on, you searched until your eyes caught two heart shaped diamond earrings it had a matching necklace along with a full heart shaped diamond bracelet, they were in three colors: yellow gold, white gold, rose gold.

"I kinda like the white gold" you state, studying the set clearly before nodding and asking the salesperson to bring it out and trying it on "I like it how much does it cost" you ask as you return the jewelry back

"you must know the diamonds are 85% fake" the salesperson says

"doesn't matter I like it" you shake your head

"okay the earrings are for 35670 and the bracelet is for 48987 and the necklace is for 62350 so in total it will cost 147007 but I will give you a 10% discount which makes it 132306" he shows you the calculator, your smile turned to a frown as you cant afford it with the money you have right now

"guess I will settle on the earrings and bracelet" you say after a while of thinking "besides the necklace wont show with my outfit, remember also I have my locket" you tried to hide your disappointment

"you sure about it" ace asks with concern "I can –"

"I said it's okay" you shock your head trying to convince him

"then that will cost a total of" the salesperson states as he calculates the total price "84657 but with a discount it will be 76200"

"okay" you hand him the money and he puts it in the register before getting your pieces wrapped, he came after 5 minutes with a bag and handed it to you with a broad smile "thank you" you say as you forced a smile and took the bag

"I apologize for our prices" he says as he helps you to the door

"no it's okay I didn't really like the necklace that much and I already have my locket" you lied.

You made your way in silence to the place where you left marco and nel, upon entering the shop the latter still hadn't decided on a dress, she was choosing either pink or purple '_either dresses are ugly_' you thought

"that was fast" she comments once she sees you

"fast, they spend more than an hour" marco complains

"well we went her and there" you teased the frustrated marco "had a drink or two took our time and relaxed"

"she's lying we got delayed thanks to your buddy over here who had a fit for almost 20 minutes" Claus points at ace who had his hands over his stomach as it growled

"I'm hungry" he whined like a child

"ace which one" nel pushed you and Claus aside as she holds both dresses in front of him

"don't care I'm hungry" he bluntly replied as he turned around and walked to the door "I'm going to eat anyone care to accompany me" he waves his hand '_I would but I recently ate'_ you frowned inwardly, but on the outside you fought the urge to fall on the floor laughing

"as long as you don't dine and dash" marco jumps and walks to his companion, who chuckled at his friend, nel furiously turn around facing you and Claus causing the two of you to shiver

"are you two planning to go" she glares at the you two, immediately shaking both your heads vigorously, she sighs and pulls the dresses "which one"

"they're both good" you lie '_does it really matter dressing up, just chose one of those two ugly rags you call dresses_' you thought as you fought the urge to follow the two whitebeard commanders

"purple" Claus said pointing to the dress, nel smiles before throwing the dress on the cashier who immediately took it and started wrapping it.

"that would be 80390" the store clerk states, you opened your eyes in surprise as you watched nel pay him '_80 thousand for that ugly rag, my designer dress along with the shoes cost around that much, mine is a designer dress, designer for crying out loud' _you thought

"lets go to where those two boys ran off" nel snaps her fingers causing you to come back to reality and follow her along with Claus who was about to explode of his headache, she was walking almost 10 steps ahead of you.

"I know what you are thinking" you smiled at your friend who was lazily trailing behind

"you do" he looks at you confused

"follow me, we will return to the hotel" you whispered making sure that nel didn't hear you, a smile made it's way across Claus's face as you pulled the man into a alley quietly before starting to dash towards the hotel. After making sure you were in a good distance away and almost near to the hotel, you fell on the floor and burst into laughter along with Claus.

"finally" Claus gasps for air as he held his stomach tightly "I can't breathe from all of this laughter"

"I just want to see her reaction" you panted as you laid in the floor resting your left hand clutching your stomach, while using your right one to wipe the tear that rolled down your eye.

"I keep telling myself that I'm glad that you joined the crew, if you hadn't well the first one who will die would be shanks" he chuckles

"I cant imagine him be serious the whole time"

"neither can I it's impossible" he smiles as he looks at the clouds "being carefree most of the time is a great thing I wish I was like that"

"you are following such a man, he already rubbed on you but you don't seem to realize it"

"shanks is a great captain specially his attitude towards his subordinates, it's just that the whole crew will be perfect if they can see life from his point of view"

"if they can see" you lowly repeated his words

* * *

**A/N: i used one piece wiki to see the average prices and it states a brand/designer shirt would cost around 10000 beri, so i guessed about what a designer dress would cost along with the shoes and jacket, and for the jewellery i just thought how much would a 80% fake would cost. the same with the previous chapter where a takoyaki would cost 500, and i made sure that the restaurant was cheap as there was a big portion of food and sake ordered**


	24. getting ready

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 22: getting ready**

You laid on the pavement along with Claus for a while before heading back to the hotel, once entering the penthouse you saw almost every member busy with the exception of yasopp who just looked at them fascinated, you walked over to him with a wandering expression "why are they so hyped about tonight" you ask

"hmm lets see benn is trying to impress his girlfriend, the others trying to move from friends to dating" he scratches his blonde hair

"and you" you ask him, he then turns to face with a 'are-you-stupid' expression "what I was just curious" you raised your hands

"you are awfully good at making expressions" he chuckles and you pouted at him "here is a question: would you let shanks flirt with another woman"

at his question you felt like burning up from the inside and he smirked clearly answering you question "he would be long dead" you snarled

"calm down it's just a question, and besides my son is about 3 years younger than you he is around 17 by now" he hesitantly replies

"I get it now" you sigh and head to your room "then I will go take a bath"

you spent almost an hour and a half in the bath until someone – nel – vigorously knocked on the door yelling at you, you sighed before getting out of the tub and grabbing a towel to dry yourself, you then remembered that you left your undergarments in the room, wrapping the towel around your body you walked to the door and stuck your ear at the door.

"Nel~" you called her, it was just a matter of seconds before you heard footsteps at other end

"what" she sighs

"is there erm…someone in the room" you ask '_I just sounded pitiful, just don't you dare lie to me'_ you thought as you face palmed yourself

"no and the door is closed" she replies "and why didn't you get your clothes with you in the first place"

"because I thought I will take a quick bath" you rolled your eyes before turning the door knob and exiting the bathroom, even though your hair wasn't dry as it kept dripping and was stuck to your face. Nel scanned you from head to toe and you felt embarrassed "what's with that look" you asked as your cheeks began to burn and tightened your grip around the towel.

"ever heard of drying your hair" she sarcastically replies, you glared at her "and I didn't think you were brave enough to step out of the bathroom with a short towel"

"sh-shut up" you stuttered as you made your way past her to your bed where your undergarments were.

"it's a shame no man ever experienced it" she teases before closing the bathroom door.

As soon as you heard the tap running you feel on your knees and felt like sobbing, you buried your head in the sheets as you tried to calm down, after a while you lift it up to see that your dripping hair made the sheets wet '_what am I getting depressed for, her sick comments about men mean nothing to me, I cant be weak I told myself not to get sad over a man_' you chuckle before you wear a black underwear with the corners laced and a red ribbon atop the laced patterns and a red bra with black laces. You then grab the towel and start rubbing your hair before starting to blow dry it. After being satisfied by the dryness of your hair you comb it so it is straight, while running the comb through the locks of your hair you felt it slightly brush against the bandage covering your tattoo.

'_it will almost be 24 hours I rather remove it before leaving, but first I need to show shanks'_ you thought as you let yourself fall on the bed with your head dangling from the edge looking at the ceiling, and you bend your knees after a while you let out a deep sigh. You lied down and before you knew it your eyes were starting to close, before giving in you moved yourself to a comfortable position with your head on the pillow and you were lying on your right side with your left arm touching the edge of the pillow and you were slightly curled into a ball.

"just be quiet and zip me up" a faint voice reached your ears

"what if she wakes up, you should have the decency to at least cover her with blankets" another faint voice argues – from the sounds of it, it was a man.

"I was to busy getting prepared that I forgot about little miss sunshine" the first voice hissed – it was a female, slowly nuzzling your head into the pillow and moaning you can tell that the voice belonged to non other than your roommate: nel.

"I must leave now" the male says this time a little louder – Claus – you turn to your other side and slowly open your eyes

"shit, you will wake her up, she has a high sense of hearing" nel hisses at Claus, you can make out their conversation but your eyes failed to show you what is going on. After a while you opened your eyes with full realization of what is going on, you slowly use your left hand as support to sit up straight and started to blink.

"I think she is awake" Claus says looking at you with fear and guilt written all over his face

_Claus….nel….room…me sleeping…on bed….staring…half naked….lace underwear & bra….nosebleed….no cover….shit_ – you tried to comprehend the following until you grasped the situation, anger boiled through your blood, your face was steaming read in anger and embarrassment. Unconsciously you grab the pillow and hurl it towards Claus's face quickly causing him to trip and fall butt-first on the ground. "OUT YOU PERVERT" you yelled

"it was nel and –" Claus stuttered but couldn't come up with an excuse. And to make matters even worse a few footsteps ran towards you and the door was flung open, standing on the other side was a worried/angry shanks along with benn, as soon as they saw you their faces began to glow red and a few drops of blood trickled down Benn's nose.

* * *

**shanks POV**

you were drinking sake when you heard asuna scream, you threw the bottle on the ground and rushed from your room grabbing your sword and headed towards her, benn followed along. You opened the door strongly and saw nel gawking at your daughter, Claus on the floor with his right hand covering his nose while his other covering his eyes, and then your daughter steaming in anger, after a little while you noticed that your daughter was half naked and at the same time benn also noticed. As if on cue to her situation you just opened your mouth and fought the urge to drool, as she resembled your late wife, then your face starts to glow bright red at what you were thinking.

"out all of you" she screams and lands strong punches on your faces, as you along with benn and Claus lied on the floor she slammed the door hardly that it made the entire penthouse shake.

"what happened" yasopp approaches and lend you a hand, taking it you stood up and rubbed your cheeks where your daughter had slapped you.

"I don't really know, and I don't want to know as far as I'm concerned it has to do with someone sneaking into her room" you say while rubbing your face, it felt as if she had broken your jaws or something.

"but why did she slap you" yasopp asks as he has no idea what you saw

"umm lets say we barged in and she was half-naked" you say with a little guilt in your tone

"are you an idiot or what captain" yasopp bursts out into laughter, and you do the same, you then sigh and head to your room without a word.

* * *

**your POV**

after slamming the door hardly on the three men, you lean on the door as you slid down and pulled your knees towards your chest, you relaxed your head to the door and rested your hands on your knees as you let out a frustrated sigh, you can hear them laugh and talking about what happened.

"what just happened" nel stares at you

"I don't know, I just don't want to talk about it" you reply as you run your fingers through the lock of your now messy golden hair.

"I know it is my fault that Claus entered the room and I completely forgot about you as I was busy getting ready and–" she started

"huh, you just don't get it do you" you sighed sarcastically

"what do you mean" she put a hand on her hip

"it felt embarrassing that's why I screamed" you continued as you started to calm down "and I mostly felt insecure, of course you weren't in the same situation so how will you understand" you looked to the ground

"I'm sorry I swear I never intended to, that's why I told Claus to quickly finish up so that I can have time helping you" she apologized looking at the ground, her expression was that of slight guilt.

"help in what" you jerked your face upwards to face her

"the bet silly, I decided that the loser shall do whatever the winner wants for two week's and that's final no changes" she approaches you

"eh?" you were dumbfounded

"c'mon you have to look hot tonight, it is almost 6:30" she says pointing to the clock.

"shit" you jumped "how long have I been asleep"

"so you ask how long you were asleep rather than how much time you have to be ready" nel chuckles "you really are weird"

"and you're a sissy not a pirate"

"would a sissy be in bed with some guy in every few ports she crosses" she rolled her eyes

'_prostitute_' you thought as you grabbed the bag and got your dress out "so I have an hour, more than enough"

"an hour are you serious" she chuckles as she locks the door, she then turns around to face you, suddenly her eyes widen and her jaw drops to the floor "where did you find such a dress" she asks shocked

"eh…at some store, why" you replied hesitantly

"well you know it is very revealing, and you know you might get raped because of that dress" she tries to talk you out of wearing the dress obviously out of jealousy

"that's the point, you can look but not touch, besides I wont get raped by a bunch of phonies and I need to get myself a boyfriend to win the bet" you wink at your last sentence

"eh so you are going to hit the floor tonight"

"to be precise I will drink my hearts content until I am more than satisfied"

"whatever" nel raises her hands up in the air and takes a seat on her bed.

You grab your dress and head to the bathroom, you took off your bra as there is no need for it '_a good thing I wore my bra just incase_' you thought as you slid your dress down, you then tidy it up before leaving the bathroom. You opened the door and saw nel sitting in the same position.

"so you change into that for almost 10 minutes" she complains

"got a problem" you say before heading to the desk and start combing your hair, after you straightened it you put on some slippers before heading to the kitchen.

"you still need to–" nel starts but stops when you ignored her, once reaching the kitchen you grabbed a bread loaf and started cutting it, you then grab some mortadella, cheese, lettuce, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, cucumber, tomato, jalapeno, pickles and a few others things; you then starts to make yourself three double-deck sandwiches. You put your sandwiches on a plate and grab a bottle of sake putting it on a tray and put a bread slice with peanut butter on it in your mouth, you then head to shanks room.

"where are you headed" asks yasopp from behind

"gottatalkwithshanks" you said while trying your best to not let the slice fall

"need any help" he asks as he approaches you

"zadoa" you say gesturing with your head towards his door

"I'm on it" he says and makes his way past you to his room, after the scene earlier everyone went to their rooms and minded their own business that was why the living room and kitchen were quiet. Yasopp knocks on the door before opening it "asuna wants to talk to you" he says before opening it completely for you to enter, he then leaves closes the door behind you leaving you alone with shanks.

"so what do you want to talk about" he asks as you put the tray on the bed in front of him and take a seat next to him, you then bite on your peanut butter slice while placing the other part on the table.

"I told you that you would be the first to see may tattoo didn't I" you say swallowing your bite

"yeah, what about it"

"well I was saying that I want you to remove the bandage and see it since I am a few minutes away from completing 24 hours" you take another bite

"oh okay" he says as he gets of the bed and walks to be behind you "sorry about earlier"

"no it's okay, I just woke up and misunderstood everything" you chuckle

"I see but still I'm sorry" he says and you sighed. You removed your hair to the side so he can have a full view of the bandage, he slowly then proceeds to take it of, you felt his hand brush against your neck as air slowly began to touch your skin and it slightly tickled, finally when the last part was of it slightly stung your lower neck and you hissed at the feel of it. "did I hurt you" shanks asks worriedly

"no" you shock your head "it's just that the last part of the bandage always stings when it is peeled"

"ah I get what it mean" he says as he throws the bandage away in the trash, and you started eating your first double-deck sandwich

"so what do you think" you ask him mouthful

"thank you" he says in a low voice as he makes his way in front of you and places his hand on your shoulder and caresses it "so that's what you meant by me"

"now no matter what happens you will always be with me" you smiled and take a mouthful bite of your so-called sandwich, you slowly chewed on it before you chocked and started gesturing for water "hot,hot,hot" you chocked

"here" he immediately grabbed your bottle of sake and opened it, you pulled it away and drank the sake in one big gulp finishing almost half the bottle.

"ahhh, I thought I was a goner" you let out a big breathe

"who puts such stuff in a sandwich and eats them in a big mouthful bite" he complains holding the sandwich.

"ahahaha I completely forgot" your rub the back of your neck sheepishly

"and just so I can be sure you are not going out like that" he points to the way you are dressed

"of course not" you say while removing the jalapeno from your sandwich "I am wearing a jacket over it"

"good"

"why"

"umm.. no reason just asking" he nervously says but you don't buy his lie '_are you jealous and over protective_' you thought as you played along with his lie

"whatever you say" and you take a small bite from your sandwich "take one" you say with food in your mouth

"when will you act like a lady" he says as he takes a sandwich

"when I feel like it" you glared at him

""yeah that's right you are a different person when it comes to fill that bottomless pit you call stomach" he teases and takes a small bite

"says the person who drowns himself in alcohol all day" you tease him back

"ohh is that so" he gives you a challenging look

"what are you implying" you smirk

"I'm implying the fact that you had inherited the same drinking and partying habits of a certain someone" he said in a-matter-of-fact tone

"you know me all to well" you sighed

"that's why I am wondering why you didn't drink today, or at least I think so besides this bottle" he points at the bottle in your hand

"simple" you grin "I will drink my hearts content tonight"

"till you drop" he chuckles and you nod, he then stands up and pulls your tray away from you

"why"

"it's 7:15 you better go get fully dressed" he smiles as he gestures his head to the clock trying to kick you out

"meanie" you pout before heading to your room.

You opened your room and stretched your arms, luckily nel was to busy with her make up that she bothered to scold you, you grabbed the comb and started combing your hair, looking at your hair it was now back-shoulder length '_maybe I will cut to be shorter in the front and longer in the back, or grow it longer_' you thought.

"hurry up slow ass it's 7:20" nel starts to complain

"okay I will be done in a second, and I thought you are suppose to go out at 8" you reply '_jinxed my luck_' you thought as you slipped your high heels.

"actually I told him to come 30 minutes earlier" she says as she grabs a clutch bag '_you really are taking this ball thing seriously_' you thought as you wore your earrings and bracelet

"well you have about 5 minutes for your final touches" you say as you wore your jacket and started to button it up

"actually I was ready since 7.10 but I felt like I was missing a few touches" she states, luckily you were giving her your back so you took this chance and rolled your eyes "well I will go, see you later" she waves and leaves the room

'_when will you act like a lady_' shanks words from earlier rang into your head, and at the thought of it you frowned '_when I will finally grow up_' you thought before slapping your face to snap out of it. You turn then look at the table where you had your locket, you slowly grabbed it and put it around your neck '_if only I had enough money I would got the necklace_' you thought.

"idiot" you slapped yourself once again before grabbing a red lipstick and applying it '_step one of acting like a lady_' you smiled and headed to the door.

"asuna can you stand by at the door I need to add a little few touches" nel holds both of your hands and pleads, which shocked and confused you at the same time, she then lets go and hurries to the room.

"eh" you said and tilted your head to the side

"then see you tonight asuna" benn says as he opens the door prepared to leave the penthouse, you turn your face to him and stared at how neat he looked "well I'm off, everyone has left besides shanks who is drinking and sulking in his room"

"okay, later" you chuckle as you look at shanks door, you thought of comforting him, as you took a few steps towards his room the door bell rang "coming" you yelled and went towards the door, you opened it to see marco and ace standing in front wearing a suit – ace wore it with a blue shirt, and marco with a purple shirt – for the first time did they look like gentlemen and ace wasn't wearing his usual orange hat. You gawked at them as they just stared at you, the moment seemed awkward but neither side seemed to care, you just stared at them until nel broke the moment.

"who is it at the door asuna" she yells.

"just give me a sec" you tell ace and marco before turning around and walking to the room you fought your blush and tried your best not to show your frown '_that's right I will drink till I drop dead on the floor tonight_' you reminded yourself.


	25. the ball I

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 23: the ball I**

**ace's POV**

you stood at the door hoping that it never opens, you tried your best to look calm, marco looked at you and chuckled. You took in a deep breathe '_why am I sweating like crazy_' you thought. "coming" a familiar voice rang from the other side of the door, you snapped out of your thoughts and suddenly tensed up.

"if you don't stop shaking then she will notice" marco whispers

"can't help it, what if something goes wrong" you whisper back

"nothi-" marco stopped as the door swung open and asuna was there, both of you turned around and just stood there shocked, she also did the same thing. It was awkward but you didn't mind '_why is my heart beating so fast, shit I am sweating, oh god why is this happening now of all times_' you thought and panicked.

"who is at the door asuna" nel breaks the moment and pulls you into the unwanted reality '_why am I stuck with nel not asuna, why does she have to look so charming now of all times_' you though

"just give me a sec" asuna says as she turns around and heads to the living room leaving the door open, as soon as she was out of sight you let out a breathe that you didn't know was there

"nervous" marco asks as he looks at you

"this is all messed up, I am in a messed up situation" you chuckle

"you got stuck with a maniac, I'm lucky I have asuna to help with my quest" he says and looks at you, you lift an eyebrow at him "what she said she will help me win elisa-chan, in return I will be her date"

"I know about your deal" you said emphasizing the word 'deal'

"then why did you….nah never mind"

"I just want this night to over quickly" you sighed. You stood there staring at the floor trying to keep your sanity; you didn't realize that your expression was a little dull as if you were sad about something.

"sorry to keep you waiting" nel came snapping you out of your thoughts, she was wearing a purple dress and acted slightly shy

"its okay" you reply and forced a smile '_why didn't you take longer_'

"then shall we" she says as she grabs your hand causing you to jerk it slightly backwards, she looks at you as if she had done something wrong

"sorry" you say and lead her out of the penthouse as soon as you were a few steps away you came to a halt and she looked at you with the same worried expression from earlier "what about your friend and marco"

"oh she said she will tell shanks that we are off and they will follow us, why?" she replies curiously

"thought we will go together but never mind"

"did something happen today, you seemed a little pissed when you came back, and well right now you seem down and addressed her as '_your friend_', you know if she did something I can see what I can do in punishing her"

"it is nothing important, and seriously punish her"

"yeah well I can like have her do extra chores and lessen her meal portions you know stuff like that"

"and how will you do that"

"well I'm older than her for starters so she will have to do what I say, I have spent longer time with the red haired pirates and I can persuade shanks into giving her a minor punishment"

"you think she would listen" you replied slightly amused '_hell will anyone let you punish her, and if you do shanks and I will personally punish you_'

"well she has to, after all shanks has more trust in me, as a person who spent longer with him and so she has no choice but to do what the captain says" she continues

"well lets just drop the topic" you reply trying your best not to chuckle and start to move again '_shanks trust you more than her, don't make me laugh. If anyone shanks would trust the most are benn and asuna, they can never backstab him unlike you who might backstab him one day_' you thought as you walked through the streets of the town

* * *

**your POV**

"will you listen to what I'm saying" you argued with shanks who was in his room sulking in a corner, you had completely forgotten about marco who was standing outside.

"but" he whines like a child

"no buts, I have a friend waiting outside for me and you are sitting her sulking for some stupid reason whatever it is when you must be present at some stupid ball that you forced me to go and ughh" you groaned and stomped a foot on the ground

"calm down it's not like the end of the world" he says in a carefree drunken tone

"listen Mr. Redhead I don't have time for your silly games I just want today to end I am in no mood for your slackness" you yelled at him, your patience was starting to run out

"but a ball is no fun like a party" he pouts, sure he was slightly drunk but you couldn't help but chuckle, he did make a point

"well it is ball full of pirates do you think it will be like simple ball" you sighed, he tilted his head slightly in confusion "we can make into a party-ball if we want to after all it is filled with pirates"

"how will we do that when less than half of the guests are pirates"

"you mean not every pirate crew"

"only the top ten in the preliminaries were invited"

"doesn't matter how many are there it will end into a party"

"what makes you say so"

"there is alcohol well many types of alcohol you name it sake, beer, rum, red wine, whisky, vodka" you smirked "alcohol plus food plus drunken pirates singing and dancing"

"will turn a stupid ball to a party" he continues your sentence and a small smile appeared on his face

"exactly so now get dressed" you stretched your hand towards him, he immediately took it but soon his smile disappeared into a frown "is something wrong" you ask with concern in your tone

"it's just that everyone has a date even you, and well…." He whispered the last part and avoided your eyes

"you have mom, in here" you said placing your hand on his chest, where his heart is "she will always be in your heart, and besides you don't need a date, neither do I but I promised marco that I will help him that's why he is my date" you smiled

"thank you" he smiled back, he was finally back to his cheery and happy self, he was no longer sulking "well speaking of which, I think your date is standing outside waiting"

"crap, I forgot about him" you run towards the door after completely forgetting about your friend who was standing outside while you were scolding your father, you just hoped he hasn't ditched you or angry, you arrived at the front door to find it closed '_must be nel who closed it_' you thought as you opened it. There you found marco walking slowly back and fro the corridor.

"sorry I took a little longer" you apologized as he stood there with a complete bored expression

"it's okay, I was just you know" he tried to come up with a excuse but failed "anyhow lets get going"

"sure" you walked out of the penthouse closing the door behind you and shoved your hands in the pockets of your jacket. You walked in awkward silence out of the hotel and through the streets.

"so…" he tried to break the silence "how do I get elisa-chan"

"well for starters does she act different around you" you asked

"hmm" he put a finger on his forehead and crossed his other hand on his chest as if he was thinking about it "slightly yeah, well she was starting to avoid me"

"anything else" you tried not to chuckle

"whenever we talk she always try to change the subject so she can leave"

"…"

"ahhh, she does slightly blush and speak in a softer voice with me" he says as if he realized it, you chuckled slightly

"then that makes it easier for me"

"how"

"just trust me" you smiled

"sure" he shrugs "and I have a question"

"what" you looked at him slightly confused

"what is going on between you and ace" he asks catching you off guard, you face changed hues into a bright red as you shock your face and hand

"no-nothing" you stuttered, he raised an eyebrow "nothing at all except a few brawls here and there" you reassured – mainly yourself

"well your face doesn't seem like it" he chuckles and puts both hands behind his head "and your voice betrayed you"

"well it just caught me off guard, and we were talking about a different topic"

"he told me" he says, you turn your face to look at him curiously, he was smiling as if he was plotting something "what happened today"

"nothing happened" you sighed in relief

"why did you hit him several times" he chuckles

"it's not my fault that flame-brain was spacing out to the extent he accidentally burned a chair" you complained

"he was angry about it, he didn't like what you did" he tilts his face so he can face you.

"well, it also pissed me how he was spacing out when I was talking to him" you turned to the other side to hide the new blush across your cheeks

"that idiot" he mutters, you chuckled at his statement. You each took turns in complaining and whining about different things, time flew by and you didn't notice until you arrived at the entrance.

"they are taking it seriously" you gawked at how well organized the place was, there was a table at the door where employees make sure that only guests enter, and they have two muscular men dressed in black outfits with matching sunglasses, though it is night. There was a closet next to the entrance to hold extra baggage that the guests carry, also they used it as a store room for those who got weapons with them no matter what reason they carry, the rule clearly states: **NO WEAPONS ALLOWED**.

"and that is just the entrance" says marco who mimicked your reaction, you turn around and stared at him stupidly. "what" he asks you with slight embarrassment in his tone.

"that's just the entrance" you repeated his word, he gave you a confused look "then what the hell is inside" you muttered

"inside" he muttered and opened his eyes in realization, the organization is taking it way to seriously, you both then looked at the entrance for a while before taking a step forward.

"your name and crew name" the woman at the door asks as the bodyguards close the stanchions, with golden poles and red ropes.

"marco from whitebeard pirates" marco says and the woman writes something on her clipboard

"asuna from the red haired pirates" you reply, she then once again writes something and then looks up to stare at you to with a small smile.

"welcome, you can remove your jacket over there" she says pointing at the closet-room "it seems that there is something going on between two crews, just about a while ago nel-san and ace-san came together"

"oh I don't know about them, but us two were to lazy to look for date" you slightly lied, well marco wanted to win a girl who happens to be whitebeard's date so you offered to help.

"I see" she smiles "oh yeah asuna-san is shanks-san coming"

"yeah he said he will leave the hotel in a few minutes when we left, so he should be on his way" you replied with a thoughtful expression, as you hand crossed your arms and put one hand under your chin in a thinking manner.

"well we look forward to having you tonight, please enjoy it" she smiles as the bodyguards release on end of the rope for you two to pass, you made your way to the closet and gave them your jacket.

"wow" marco scanned your entire body in shock, you gave him a friendly smack on the head. "oww what was that for" he whines and cups his head.

"what the hell are those dirty thoughts in your mind" you raise an eyebrow

"you even use your haki now"

"cant help it, I'm slightly paranoid for almost a long while now"

"how long"

"hmmm…a few months maybe, but almost a extra paranoid yesterday and today" you sighed as you take Marco's hand he escorts you into the hall

"well I won't pry into your privacy so I won't ask why" he says as he holds your hand as you go up the stairs covered by a red carpet. As you reached the top you met another set of big rich brown doors decorated with golden lines and big golden handles, with two muscular bodyguards on each of the sides. Both men move and pull each handle to show a big hall decorated a golden design, the hall had two floors, the first mainly the classical dance floor with a few snack tables and some waiters serving different drinks; the second floor was a little dull it was composed of a few rooms and at the south were two doors, the right was to a bar and the left was to a club.

"I think I have a idea where I will head to" you mutter as you look at the right south corner.

"you can drink as much as you want but first help me"

"actually the bar and club will open in 30 minutes" a voice says from behind, you turn around and see it is non other than Claus, and beside him was a beautiful girl wearing a baby pink puffy knee-length dress with only one flower-strap on the right shoulder. She had silky dark brown waist length hair and matching eyes, her pale skin matched Claus's slightly tanned skin, overall she looked like a really beautiful woman.

"hi, I'm Cornelia" she said shyly, as a blush came across her cheeks, and she hid behind Claus.

"asuna, nice to meet you" you extend your arm for her to shake, and put on a wide smile, she slowly overcomes her fear of being around pirates and takes your hand, slowly a smile appeared on her beautiful face.

"and I'm marco nice to meet you as well" he says and shakes her hand

"seems like we are the only to women wearing short dresses" you say as you scanned the area where almost all women were wearing long flowing dresses.

"well your outfit is more revealing than mine, and since it was a pirates ball I never expected it to be like this" she says her voice was still shy

"neither did I, and there is a point why I chose this outfit"

"cuz ace chose it" Claus says looking away in attempt to annoy you

"w-what n-no it's because I…I want to win the bet that I made with nel" you stammered as your face turned blazing red, you felt like slapping yourself for doing that.

"then why are you blushing" marco chuckles, you turn around and glare at him. He starts to whistle as if nothing happened, everyone just stared at you for a moment before the area fell into laughter.

"we were just joking" Claus pats your shoulder

"I know and next time don't" you pout, for some reason even though you were embarrassed you didn't feel angry what so ever '_maybe tonight won't be as bad as I thought it would be_' you thought

"care if we join the conversation" a voice you recognized as nel asks, you turn around to see her tightly griping ace's arm with a smirk, he on the other hand seemed annoyed and desperately want to leave the place.

"it's alright we were just teasing Ms. I-" marco says but you elbowed him in the stomach causing him to clutch it in pain "you demon" he hisses

"open your mouth to anyone one more and you will be nothing but broken bones" you threat him with a friendly smile on your face

"sorry" he whispers and you chuckle

"I was just joking" you say and he sighs in relief.

"I don't want to know what you people are talking about" ace sighs looking away.

"Tsch, asshole" you muttered _'what's wrong with him today, first the chair then the spacing out, at the shop and then at the door, now this_'

"I will borrow ace for a second" marco says snapping you out of your thoughts, he grabs his friend's arm and walks away, leaving a dumbfounded nel, you tried not to chuckle.

"Marco if you say something I will kill you" you glared at him

"I wont-yoi" he uses his trademark word to assure you he will keep his word, you nod to let him go.

"What is it that you don't want ace to know" nel asks as soon as they were out of sight, you looked at her before rolling your eyes.

"I don't want him to tease me as well, I already have Claus and marco teasing me and I don't want ace to join them" you sigh

"Oh I see, anyhow I gotta go see my date" nel says before she takes of searching for the two

"Mind if I chat with Cornelia-san for a while" you asks Claus

"Just don't scare her away" he says before giving her a kiss on the cheek and leaves.

"I'm not good with word" she says with a low voice

"It's okay, I just want to know you better that's all" you smile, you went to a more quieter place and took a seat next to the wall and chatted about different things, it was a short while but you felt like you have known her for a very long while now.

"I know it's non of my business, but do you have seem feelings towards that ace person" she asks with concern in her tone, you felt flushed as she had caught you off guard.


	26. the ball II - crazy dancing

**A/N: hello there my dear readers, i just want to say that this chapter was meant to be posted last night with chapter 23 but i had changed the song used in this chapter to "better than revenge" by taylor swift, so i had to re-write most of this chapter all over again. yes the part edited was slightly crappy and i think it has become crappier cuz i dont know how to describe someone dancing.**

******I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 24: the ball II – crazy dancing**

_"I know it's non of my business, but do you have seem feelings towards that ace person" she asks with concern in her tone, you felt flushed as she had caught you off guard._

"eh" you looked at her not knowing what to say "what….what d-d-dya mean by fe-fe-el-feelings" you stammered

"see, you get all red and you stutter when you speak" she chuckles

"no I don't" you look at the ground and hide your face between your knees and chest "does it show" you muttered

"not really but as far as I'm concerned the excuses you make hides the fact" she paused and looked at the ceiling "and then again maybe no"

"that marco what is he going to say to ace"

"so what exactly is going between you and ace"

"nothing really we just turned from enemies to friend-rivals something like that"

"enemies?"

"yeah we used to hate each other to the point we fight every second with the intent to kill the other" you chuckled

"well right now it doesn't show you two were ever enemies"

"that's because you didn't see us interact together, this morning was a small disaster"

"how come, there were no explosions or anything broken in town"

"oh no you seem mistaken, there was a burned chair, and I smacked ace a couple of times"

"now I see" she sheepishly chuckles

"he is a complete set of idiocy" you leaned your head backwards onto the wall and close your eyes, a small smile came across your face upon the thought of his idiocy.

"that woman nel who is she exactly, Claus told me but not the details"

"ahh, she is the bitch of our crew she acts bossy and thinks highly of herself and lowly of us, she thinks if she gets shanks with her in bed she can gain control of our entire crew"

"well Claus described her as an annoying hoe who steals the fun away and thinks beauty comes first and thinks being I pirate is actually a child's game"

"hmm…well if you mix both our opinions you get exactly who nel is" you smile

"now I see, so ace is one of her victims" she slams a fist on a palm as if she discovered something

"Claus is a lucky guy to have found someone as great as you Cornelia-san" you chuckle

"you are also an amazing person asuna-chan, it was great to know there are still women like you around" she ends the sentence softly with a smile

"what do you mean"

"most women now days care about beauty, money, jewelry and having the perfect guy. But you live your life carefree and always cherish the moment, you don't care about what most women your age care about and you are bright" she smiles at you and you in return blush at what she said

"thank you" was all you could say

"hmm so shall we return, I don't want Claus to go hitting on other women" she jumps to her feet and offers you her hand, you take it immediately and then head back to the dance floor.

* * *

"you didn't do something to my girlfriend did you" Claus glares at you as he pulls her in a protective hug.

"nothing we just had a girls talk" you sigh

"it's alright I was just trying to know asuna-chan as she was trying to know me" she pecks his cheek

"girls talk?" claus raises an eyebrow

"yes is it hard to believe, but hey at least I am getting closer to growing up" you defend

"she didn't say anything bad about me did she" he turns and face Cornelia

"no, besides if she did I will still love you"

"and I will be going" you say as it seems they have forgotten you were here.

"oh yeah I almost forgot marco is looking for you" he says and your face became pale as you almost forgot about him '_crap I forgot 'bout marco and trying to hook him up with elisa-chan, he is so going to kill me_' you thought

"asuna-sama where the hell did you go" the said person came from behind you steaming with anger though his expression betrayed him

"sorry I completely lost track of time" you chuckle sheepishly as you rub the back of your neck "and what's with the –sama"

"so you don't beat me up and you see when I went to talk to ace well we kinda bumped into elisa-chan and then she said 'I don't see your date around did she dump you' in an angry voice and-" you cut him of by putting your palm in front of his face and closed your eyes

"how did she exactly act"

"umm…she was angry and tried to avoid me, she was also like let asuna do it for you" he scratched his crown

"now I see, where is she anyway"

"well she went with pops to the bar it just ope-" you cut him off once again by pulling him towards the bar

"see you guys later" you wave before leaving them, you made your way into the bar which surprised you as both the bar and club were one room but were in sections, the divider were a few poles where several women were standing and dancing. You turn to see whitebeard sitting in front of the stage with a sake bottle while Elisa scolding him.

"this will be fun" you chuckle as you dragged marco to where whitebeard and Elisa are

"what are you" marco started but stopped in mid-sentence

"whitebeard-san can I borrow elisa-chan for a moment" you say as you grab her hand, marco was boiling red from behind you

"sure child but be sure she comes unharmed" he replies in a confused tone

"I will" you say and drag both of them to a private room at the corner of the club, you then throw them both in

"elisa-chan the thing is marco over her like you" you say as you point to him, his face was way beyond waves of red.

"what" she looks at him, he opens his mouth to say something but words wont come out

"he like you as in loves you, he asked for my help, well I asked for his help first but now that I don't need him anymore, I will have to return the favor by helping him confess to you, now that I am done with that bye and good luck" you say it all in one breathe and dash out of the room

* * *

**third person POV**

asuna closed the door of the private room and dashed to the bar. Both marco and Elisa looked at each other for a while, and were blushing furiously.

"so you like me" she asked in a low tone

"for a very long time now" marco replies to her '_damn you asuna you will pay for this_' he thought in anger as how she embarrassed him in front of his beloved elisa-chan.

"how come you didn't say anything till now"

"I didn't know how to say, more like I didn't know when is the right time, or when did I have the chance to say it"

"I like you too" she says as she wraps her hands around his neck and pecks his lips

"so I take that as you will be my girlfriend" he smirks as he puts his hands on her waist and pulls her closer to him.

"if you swear your loyalty as a boyfriend to me". Marco pulls her into a passionate kiss as both their lips connect once again, sparks flying in the background, he then breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against elisa's

"I swear I will love you and protect you everyday of my life until I die"

* * *

"one shot of your strongest" asuna says as she takes a seat and puts her elbow on the counter as she cups her face and looks at the women who just got of the poles.

"here you go" the bartender places a standard cup of alcohol on the table

"you dumped your date for alcohol" a voice chuckles from behind asuna, she turns around to see that it belonged to none other than nel and she see that ace was making his way past nel and takes a few seats away from asuna.

"so what about it" asuna replies as she drinks in one gulp, her expression changed due to the strong taste of the alcohol "strong"

"suit yourself" nel then takes a seat next to ace

"another two shots sir" asuna waves her hands to the bartender

"of course but that will be your max" he says

"it's okay" she smiles, the bartender goes to fetch her drinks, while waiting she turned around to see ace drinking beer and nel talking to him, they seemed to be into the conversation; she stared at them for a while – eavesdropping – until ace turned around and made eye contact for a second.

"here are your shots" the bartender says as he puts two small cups on the table thus saving asuna from her awkward moment

"thanks" she says and takes one cup '_great now he will think of me as a lifeless person, hope he didn't realize I was eavesdropping_', asuna slowly twirled the cup in her hands before drinking it in one gulp. '_strong and refreshing_' she thought

"slowly ojou-chan" a pirate took a seat next to asuna, she glares at him before drinking her third shot and bangs the cup hardly on the table.

"this should do" asuna says as she stands and hits the table with both hands, she then makes her to where the poles are, passing through ace and nel who look at her confused

"hey is there a microphone" she shouts as she stands onto pole stage and lets out a drunken laugh as she tries to balance herself on the small round stage.

"what are you planning to do" a man wearing a neat suit and has a name tag with the words; MANAGER: BUCKLE TIM, written on them.

"manager-san I am going to sing a song" she replied seductively as she used her hand to spin around the pole

"she's drunk" nel said from the corner as she watched asuna flirting with the manager and spinning around the pole.

"that idiot" ace muttered as he glanced at asuna before sipping his cup of beer.

"ne…manager-san please" she pouts

"just let me see what song" he sighs as he gave in to asuna's charms

"it was written by a friend of mine her name is Wendy she works at a local bar here"

"you mean Mai Wendy" he asks with a shocked expression

"sooo~" asuna nods and spins in once again

"it happens I know Wendy –san and I had a few of her new songs to be sung tonight, so what song will you sing for us…." He says but stops mid-sentence

"asuna-sama" she continues his sentence

"so is it one of her new songs asuna-sama"

"better than revenge" she sang

"my pleasure" the manager went and grabbed her a microphone, he came back to see a few people – mainly men – surrounding the pole, asuna leaning forward chatting and flirting with several men.

"her you go" Tim says as he gives asuna the microphone, she turns it on and taps a few times to make sure it was working, and it did as it released a loud screeching voice. The entire club flinched at the noise but then returned to being neutral.

"sorry" asuna says into the microphone, and to anyone who heard her could tell that she was drunk, but in asuna's case slightly drunk – she is faking it.

"is that asuna-chan on the pole" Cornelia enters the bar with Claus who just nodded at the sight of the golden haired crewmate.

"she is drunk or at least slightly drunk so never mind her" Claus replies to Cornelia as he pushes her seat in the bar.

"what do you mean she?" she looked at her boyfriend confused

"the runt has a high tolerance to alcohol" he replies and turns to the bartender.

"she only had three shots of strong vodka" the bartender seems to have read Claus's mind, Claus then turns to face his girlfriend with a smile.

"see she need to have at least five more shots to get slightly drunk"

"then why is she" Cornelia asks pointing at asuna.

"she…. I don't really know, perhaps trying to do something reckless" Claus scratches the back of his neck "well let's see how far the little miss will take it before I can interfere"

* * *

the lights in the room dimmed and a purple light shone on asuna, a second later she started "_now go stand in the corner and think about what you did_" she pointed to the corner and smirked and the music started beating "_Ha!" _she paused and let the beat run for a while "_Time for a little revenge_"

"_the story starts when it was hot and it was summer_" she faked being hot causing the men to whistle "and _I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him" _she moved to the side and pointed at some random woman _"she came along, got him alone and let's hear the applause" _ immediately the crowd clapped "_she took him faster than you can say 'sabotage'" _and snapped her fingers, the bar/club went wild

"_I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it" _she turned around to face another direction_ "I underestimated just who I was dealing with_" she used her free hand to twirl her finger in one of her locks "_she had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum_" she bobbed her head and clutched her heart as a sly smirk crept her face "_she underestimated just who she was stealing from_"

the music started beating and asuna started singing the chorus "_she's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress, whoa"_ asuna swayed her hips from side to side "_she's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa"_

the beat changed slightly and asuna shook her head from front to back _"soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends, she should keep in mind she should keep in mind there is nothing I do better than revenge, ha"_ and the drums high beats stopped

"_she looks at life like it's a party and she's on the list" _asuna turned and gave a disgusted face at no one in particular "_she looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it I think her ever-present frown is a little trouble and" _asuna bobed her head to the side at the drum beat "_she thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her name with things but sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know"_

asuna then kneeled down and flirted with a few men as she sang "_or pushing people down to get where you wanna go. Oh, they didn't teach you that in prep school, so it's up to me" _as the drum beat once hardly she pushed one man away and stood up "_but no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity_"

as the beat began to rise asuna turned around the pole quickly and started singing the chorus "_she's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress, whoa" _asuna used her free hand to grab the pole and pull herself towards it, using it as means of support as she bended forward and continued singing "_she's better known for the things she does on the mattress, whoa"_

asuna stood up back straight her hand still holding to the pole, she swayed her head and hips from side to side "_soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends" _asuna stopped shaking her body and smirked "_she should keep in mind she should keep in mind there is nothing I do better than revenge"_

asuna stood up and glared at the air and sang sarcastically_ "I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey you might have him but haven't you heard I'm just another thing for you to roll you eyes at, honey you might have him but I always get the last" _ asuna raised her free hand and pointed to the sky "_wooord~ whoa~"_

asuna brought her hand down as the beat of the chorus started, she once again swayed her entire body from left to right "_she's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress, whoa. She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa. Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends. She should keep in mind she should keep in mind there is nothing I do better than revenge"_

asuna stopped dancing and took a deep breathe before continuing in a lower tone now "_do you steel feel like you know what you're doing? 'cause I don't think you do. Do you still feel like you know what you're doing? I don't think you do, I don't think you do" _asuna now changed her tone into a more sarcastic one and looked at ace's and nel's direction, _"let's hear the applause. Come on show me how much better you are (so much better, yeah) so you deserve some applause 'cause you're so much better. She took him faster than you could say 'sabotage'" _and ended it with a snap of her fingers.

* * *

The whole club cheered and clapped, they liked the little show well everyone liked it except ace who was glaring daggers at asuna, nel who was pissed at how many men were flocking around her, Claus who was angry at her actions, and Cornelia who looked in shock and disbelief.

"thank you~" asuna bows her head down and gives a slight drunken laugh

"again, again, again" the entire club cheered

"again" she asks

"yeah" the crowd of men cheers

"I'll go check with manger-sann~" she purred

back in the bar Claus made his way to ace and grabbed his hands "we gotta stop her before she does something" he whispers into ace's ears

"lets go" ace says and made his way to the pole '_why is she doing all this, how can a person change in a matter of several hours_' he thought while suppressing his anger from burning the entire place, yes ace was jealous

"oh ace Claus what are you two doing here" asuna says as she spots the two men coming to her way

"fire fist ace, ice Claus what a pleasure to meet you two" the manager who was talking to asuna offers his hand to the two men

"we came to take you back" ace says and grabs her hands and pulls her towards him

"let go" she glares at him and tries to release his grip

"you're drunk" Claus says as he stands in front of asuna and looks at the manager "I'm sorry but I can't allow my crewmate to further humiliate herself"

"she was just singing" the manager argues back "I'm sure it's not a big deal considering such beauty and wonderful voice"

"keep your dirty mind to yourself" ace growled at the man

"ace" asuna looks at him after she gave up struggling

"what are you implying at" the man glares at ace

"I'm saying that if you dare do anything to hurt her you will be nothing but a pile of ash" ace threatens the manager and drags asuna towards the bar

"lets go" Claus holds asuna's other arm and helps ace drag her back, once they were there nel was sitting at the counter with a cup of wine in her hand and Cornelia was looking down in disappointment, both then let go of their tight grips and asuna trips for a second before she stands facing both men.

"what the hell do you think you were doing" she snapped at the two

"babysitting you" Claus replied

"and protecting you from such people" ace replied and asuna's eyes widened

"seriously babysitting and protecting me"

"yes asuna we are here to save your sorry ass from any further humiliation, consider it a favor since you are acting reckless and doing some crazy stuff" ace raised his voice, asuna was angry from the outside but from the inside she was hurting over the fact that ace – the man who she loves – is yelling at her

"but I don't need saving, I can perfectly take care of myself even if I'm drunk"

"do you have any idea how those men looked at you, huh?" ace asked angrily no longer able to suppress his anger, causing asuna to stop as he hit the mark

"we know you're not drunk and we know you are just acting like that to wow some men, just get the fact that unless you become a whore you will never get a boyfriend or as a matter of fact you wont be considered as a pirate at all" nel spat, asuna then turned around to look at her, pain showing in her eyes '_is that what you think of me?_' she thought

"thank you" asuna whispered as she lowered her head so that her fringe was shadowing her eyes, and made her way out of the bar trying her best to hold the tears back.

"hey where do you thing you are going?" ace yelled her, and nel chuckled

"you think it's funny" Claus glared at her

"yeah who wouldn't" nel replied sarcastically "the bitch deserved it, flirting with thousands of men"

"great look at what you three have done, it's enough what ace and Claus did and you just had to make things worse nel, didn't you" Cornelia yells at the three and stomps her way to where asuna went

"dumping your date" nel chuckles

"no trying to get a friend back, bitch" and by that Cornelia had made her way out, nel just stood there and looked at Cornelia's retreating figure in disbelief, '_that lowlife she thinks she can stand up to me, Claus you will pay the price for falling in love with that bitch_' nel thought. Claus didn't hesitate and followed his girlfriend, and ace was about to do the same thing but nel grabbed his wrist, he turned around and all what nel saw was anger and hate in his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: as i said earlier in this chapter i don't know how to describe a person dancing so try using your imagination and hope you liked this chapter**


	27. the ball III - Escape

**A/N: double update today**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 25: the ball III – escape**

'_I hope he isn't angry or mad at me_' nel thought as she tightened her grip around ace's hand, she tried to look at his face but not eyes; he slowly pulled his hand away from her grip. "ace wait" nel cried softly as embraced his hand "don't go I love you" she lifted her head with fake tears crawling in her eyes and put on the best puppy dog face ever

"and I don't, leave me alone will you" ace shoved her away, it was the first time in years was he rude to a women.

"I will do anything for you, just stay" nel practically begged

"you just poured salt to the wound, I yelled at her recklessness and I could see she was hurt from the inside, throughout the whole façade she was hurt, and you just had to make it worse"

"it's not my fault, I'm doing what is best for her, she was surrounded by a flock of pirates you think I will just let her flirt with them and say nothing"

"is it a thing for you, torturing people, making fun of them, flirting with people who are younger than you, sleeping with every single guy you set your eyes on, being the one who is always on top" ace scolded her "well here is the thing woman like you are the one's I hate the most" and with that ace made his way out of the bar but came to halt and faced nel "oh and by the way I will be 20 in a few weeks" he lied and took off once again

* * *

"I had a feeling I will find you up here" a voice comes from behind asuna who was leaning on the terrace railing pouring her eyes out while watching the stars, asuna turns around and wipes her tears away.

"Cornelia-san I…." asuna manages to say hoarsely but is at loss of words

"it's okay, I think I understand what you are going through" she smiles

"no you don't" asuna shocked her head and looked back at the starts "no one can understand what I'm going through" by every word asuna's voice sounded weaker and weaker

"okay sure maybe I don't understand, hell I don't know what's going on but there is one thing I know about you" Cornelia approaches asuna and pulls her into a hug

"eh?" asuna says in shock of what just happened

"you are a bright young woman who mustn't be crying at a time like this and must be out there partying with everyone and having the time of your life, and you mustn't let some bitch hurt you" she then lets go of asuna and fixed her hands an asuna's shoulders and looked at her "when you were singing I saw the pain in your eyes, up there on the stage you were trying to let what's in your heart out without hurting anyone, you just wanted to fix your broken heart aren't I right?"

"Cornelia-san thank you" asuna smiles and pulls Cornelia into a hug "so this must be how it feels to have an older sister"

"I am the oldest so I wouldn't know" Cornelia chuckles and releases asuna who started laughing

"then I decided" asuna pumps her fist cheerfully

"what" Cornelia looks at her confused

"I will make you my older sister" she grins

"si-sister" Cornelia choked "but how"

"if you marry Claus that will make you my sister in law and I will make sure that you marry him"

"asuna-chan"

"what" you say wondering what she wants to say

"don't go making decisions on your own and second it's between me and Claus and if it never worked out I will still be your sister"

"sorry" asuna pouts

"you're like a 5-year old you know that" Cornelia covers her mouth while letting out small giggles.

"lets go back and not to the bar I mean we will go to the b-b-ba-a-ball" asuna struggled saying the last word, which made Cornelia let out another chuckle

"you're funny you know that"

"you are one of the few people who said this to me" asuna swung her hands to the back of her head and blushed slightly '_the first person to ever tell me that I'm weird and funny was ace on our second encounter_' they made their way back to the hall and went down the stairs back to the first floor.

"hey where did you two run off to" Claus asks as he ran to the two women on the staircase

"nowhere" asuna replied emotionlessly as she turned to face Claus who was standing behind her

"Claus honey" Cornelia shook her head and gave him a 'don't ask' look

"anyhow just don't run off like that, so what are you planning to do" Claus asks Cornelia as he swings his arm around her shoulder

"well to the dance floor since we are going down and I decided to lay of the booze for tonight, I'm all sobered up now" asuna smiles and continues her way down, there were many thought going through claus's mind, anyone could see the puffiness in asuna's eyes he knew she was crying and that what he and ace did was wrong.

"mind if I join" Claus asks as he looks at his descending friend, she shrugs and continues descending "I will take that as a yes" he says and escorts his girlfriend down. As soon as they reached down the first thing asuna headed to was the snack table over there she grabbed some cookies from the dessert section and some fruit punch while Claus took his girlfriend to the dance floor to dance.

"excuse me" a woman wearing a black slim fit sleeveless dress with a tear from her upper left thigh going downwards approaches asuna, she held a small silver tray with a envelope on it "are you asuna from the red haired pirates"

"yeah" asuna replies while confused, only to get the tray put in front of her, which enhanced her confusion and tilted her head slightly.

"an anonymous person sent this letter to you" the woman replies as if she had read asuna's thought

"oh okay" asuna says as she picks up the envelop from the tray, the woman nods and leaves. Asuna places her punch on the table as she opens the envelope, inside was a letter that says:

_meet me at the terrace you were earlier in, at 9.50_

_ -A _

Asuna folded the paper back into the envelope and looked around to look for the person who sent it, though she had a hunch from who it was and as if on you cue she spotted the person leaning on the railings of an inner balcony looking down at the people more specifically asuna, when he saw her looking at him he gave her a warm smile and a wink then he left, though not before asuna returned the smile back.

"so who are you looking at and smiling" a person creped up behind asuna says, she turned around and got into a defensive stance

"wha- shanks you scared me" she relaxes and looks at her father

"you didn't answer my question and who is that letter from" he says as he tries to grab the letter.

"n-n-no one and it's none of your business" she snapped at him stuttering causing shanks to smirk and sigh

"if you say so" he teases and sticks his tongue out

"you know there is a bar up there" asuna points at the location of the bar and a smirk appears on her face "and they serve the guests for free, in other word you can drink as much as you want and not pay" she whispers in his ears.

"then I will get going" he fell into his daughters trap and hurried to the bar, asuna chuckled at how happy shanks was '_everything can be solved by alcohol right shanks_' she thought and looked at the clock it read _9.45_

"5 more minutes" asuna whispered to herself

"5 more minutes for what" another voice startles her, she turns around to find it to be non other than jozu

"doesn't concern you" she stutters

"jeez you don't need to be mean, anyhow did you see ace" he sighs

"no, not since I got angry at him at the bar" asuna lied as for some reason she felt that she should keep their meeting a secret.

"well if you see him tell him that I was looking for him"

"isn't there a lot of _him _in that sentence" asuna sweat drops at the use of the word 'him' in jozu's sentence

"well see you around" jozu chuckles and leaves asuna. '_I better hurry up I don't have time and I don't want to get caught_' asuna thought and immediately took off, she was almost caught by drunken or wandering pirates, luckily she just made it to the terrace in time where she saw ace leaning on the railing gazing at the starts.

"um I'm not late am I" she asks, he stoped gazing for a moment and looked at her

"just on time" he smiled with a hint of guilt – unknown to asuna or Cornelia that ace was eavesdropping on them

"so what do you want me for" she asks as she makes her way next to him and leans on the railings

"I'm sorry if I hurt and made you cry earlier" he apologizes in a low voice, which made asuna chuckle

"did I hear just right, fire fist just apologized I must be dead for this to happen"

"hey" ace yelled as he just registered what the golden haired woman said causing her to roll on the floor laughing and clutching her stomach

"I cant take it anymore, I will die from this laughter, screw you portgas" asuna managed to say from between laughter's

"but this isn't why I called you here" he sighed and looked back to the stars, asuna stopped laughing and stood up, she looked at ace with curious eyes.

"so what is it that you want" she gave him cold stare

"the comet will come around by 10.30 now is almost 10" he turned his gaze so he was now facing asuna "meaning we have 30 minutes to sneak out, so I was wandering if you will join me"

"how are we going to sneak out" she smirked, it was her way of saying yes.

"does anyone know you are up here" ace asks as he scans the area

"no why"

"I already had everything planed" he says grabbing asuna's wrist and heads of to some corner of the terrace. "we will sneak from top" he says and climbs a small wall, once he reached the top he extended his arm for asuna to take, she took it with out hesitation and in a few seconds they were on top of the wall.

"just bear in mind I'm wearing heels" asuna whines as she climbs the roof behind ace

"shhh" ace suddenly shushes as he tries to hide his face behind some statue from the patrolling guard's asuna covered her mouth and nodded, she slowly moved to avoid getting noticed, once the coast was clear he signaled for asuna to come, he continued down the roof to the other side with asuna above him slowly descending. Once he made it to flat ground he turned around to see where was asuna.

"_EEEP_" asuna yelped as the tile she was standing on broke causing her to slip down, thanks to ace's quick reflexes he managed to grab her from falling any further and at the same time covered her mouth

"did you hear that" a guardsman asked as he turned around and faced a few of his friends and they all look up to the roof where the voice and fallen tile came from.

"stay down" ace whispered as he pulled asuna down and squashed her down behind the short wall, still he covered her mouth with his hand. Thanks to the small area between the wall and roof they were in an awkward position, with ace over her squashing her body on the ground with his own body, his legs on each side of her his face hidden in her hair, their cheeks touching each other, asuna was burning red from the position they were in, any person to come across the two will get the wrong idea.

"maybe it's my imagination" the guardsman said and turned around

"okay everyone shift is over lets go" another guardsman says as he peeks through his wristwatch, then all guards men on the area leave.

"coast clear" ace whispers as he lifts his head up, asuna uses this chance to push him away hardly "what was that for" he whines

"from now on I will take the lead, I'm better at this stuff than you" asuna replies as she removes her heels and pulls ace's tie from his neck to use it for her own hair, she then stands up and gets a hold of her shoes. "hurry" she says and darts through the space while keeping her head low, ace followed her.

"now what" he say they made it out of the mansion/hall and towards the main wall which was a small river almost 10 meters in diameter.

"we swim" she looks at ace who's color drained out of his face causing her to chuckle "don't worry I will be with you" she reassured him as a faint blush crept up her

"you better not let me drown" he smiled back

"whoa" she exclaims and throws her hand up in the air "hold on a sec, you just trust me like that"

"yeah why not" ace shrugs

"you know after all my attempts to kill you I might as well let you drown halfway through"

"even though when I told you about my sneak out you trusted me so that's why I will trust you this time" he walks closer to asuna who sighs taking her heels from her and she slowly enters the water '_just like that he trusted me, what a weird guy_' she thought and smiled

"you know it's weird to just smile at people randomly" he teases as he bends down giving back her heels.

"here I was thinking you were the weird one" she swims a few inches further and dips her face in the water for a few seconds and surfaces back up again taking a huge breath "c'mon we don't have all day" she extends her hand to ace

"here goes nothing" he says and slowly enters the water, before his face can go under the water an arm made it's way under his own arm and flung it around it's owners shoulder

"take a deep breathe, swimming under water will be better and faster for us" she says "on my count, 3"

"2"

"1" they say in unison and take a deep breathe and descend into the water, they made it half way through in mere second and resurfaced again to take another breathe "make sure to take a stronger one 'cause I wont stop if I see you suffocate"

"we~ are~ halfway~ so~ no~ need~ to~ complain~ anymore~" ace replied lazily as he was out of energy, they take another breathe and they made their way to the shore, first asuna pushed ace who crawled out and lied on the grass panting, she then pulled herself upwards.

"thank you" a panting ace pulled asuna upwards, she ended up lying on the floor next to him.

"anyways lets go" she stands up and puts her shoes on, she then looks at her body then ace's giving weird faces causing ace to look at her confused.

"what" ace asks tilting his head slightly

"I'm such an idiot" she says and face palms "you can dry yourself but me I will stay wet and I completely forgot about my jacket"

"don't worry I sent a letter on your behalf to benn saying to pick up your jacket" he smiles and starts walking "and about being wet" he extends his arms "I will keep you warm"

"pervert" she mutters and walks past him, they walked for about five minutes in the forest with ace taking the lead "where are we going, my legs hurt from walking uphill" asuna whines as she shivers from being wet

"a secret but don't worry it is worth it, and bear for just a little while longer"

"but I'm freezing" she said between chatters

"I offered drying you but you declined the offer because of some stupid reason"

"shut up" she snarls and comes to a stop

"what's wrong why did you stop"

"shhh, did you hear that" she scans the area looking for the sound

"hear what" ace asks confused

"there it is again loud and clear how can you not hear it" the sound came again from her left then again with each second it became louder "sorry for having keen senses of hearing" she mutters and turns to the left ready to intercept the owner of the sound.

"it's okay but what is that sound you are hearing" ace face the same direction asuna is facing and enters a battle position, suddenly a black thing flies past them

"KYAAA" asuna screams and falls to the ground unconscious

"hey asuna what's wrong wake up" ace catches her in time and shakes her but no use, he looks around to spot that the black creature, he puts asuna to the ground then stands up and walks towards it as flames engulf his hands.

* * *

**A/N: in the letter that ace sends asuna the letter 'A' is suppose to be on the right side but it wont change no matter what i try, and i am 3/4 my way through part 1. just if you noticed any mistakes just know that this chapter like most of the chapters was written at night and yesterday i proof read it at midnight, and when i proof read this a few hours ago, i kept laughing at my mistakes. obviously i should stop writing at night after all it turns crappy but i cant help it the idea just popped in my mind as how would i lay the scene out - yes i already planned how the part 1 will go but i still need to know how to write it out. guess i better shut up, thank you for reading i never believed i would make it this far and don't forget to ****review**


	28. forrests and bats

**A/N: i can give you an excuse for the slightly crappy chapter - it was written and proof read at night. i know it's a bad habit to do it at night but i cant help it, its the time where i get most bored and have the time free so i tell myself why not write, currently i've got up to chapter 31 but now i am suffering of writers block, i cant think of a what to write in the next scene's. anyhow enjoy the chapter**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 26: forests and bats**

"_It's okay but what is that sound you are hearing" ace faces the same direction asuna is facing and enters a battle position, suddenly a black thing flies past them_

"_KYAAA" asuna screams and falls to the ground unconscious_

"_hey asuna what's wrong wake up" ace catches her in time and shakes her but no use, he looks around to spot that the black creature, he puts asuna to the ground then stands up and walks towards it as flames engulf his hands._

"who are you" ace asks but the creature stays in it's place upside down a tree branch, it was black and tiny, the creature then covers itself with its wings and closes it's eyes "huh, a normal bat" ace mutters and burns the bat.

He turns towards asuna and puts an arm under her knees and upper back pulling her up to his chest thus carrying her bridal style, and increases his body temperature to dry her off. Ace continues up to his destination, it was quiet for a while '_afraid of bats, you are a pirate how do you stay in forests at night_' he thought.

"Unn, warm" asuna mutters in her sleep as she nuzzles her face in ace's chest, she then moves her face and looks upwards slowly opening her eyes with her hand on ace's chest as support "unnn"

"Finally awake" ace smiles still eyes on the path ahead

"KYAAA" she screams and punches ace in the face causing her to fall on the floor from ace's hands and ace falls backwards on the floor, both of them fell butt first, "owww" she hisses and rubs her butt from the impact and dusting it from the dirt as she stands up

"what was that for" ace rubs his nose in pain

"You were carrying me, and I got the wrong idea" she mutters the last part

"it's not my fault you fainted"

"fainted" she says as she remembers what had happened, in a flash her face was drained out of colors

"there is a bat behind you" he points at her direction

"where" she jumps to ace who was still sitting and hides her face in his neck, clutching him tightly, ace could've sworn he heard her sniff

"I was just joking" he pats her head and chuckles, asuna lets go and pushes him hardly, her eyes were watery

"asshole" she mutters standing up and turns around to wipe her tears away

"you don't happen to be afraid of bats" he asks and stands up dusting himself from the fall

"sh-shut up" she stutters as her face turns red from embarrassment

"okay lets go" he then walks past her

"Acee" she wince and hides her face in ace's back, who stopped in his tracks and turned around so she was in his embrace "there are still more of them and I can hear them"

"I am here so don't worry" he tries to comfort her

"but I'm scared" she winces again and tightens her grip on his jacket

"ride on my back, I will run we don't have much time, and try to think about something else like alcohol and food" he then turns around and crouches to the ground "I promise not to drop you"

"don't try something perverted okay"

"I'm not like marco you know" he chuckles, asuna then wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist while her wraps his hands around her legs, he then stands up "hang on tight"

"I'm ready" she buries her face in ace's neck and he darts off. The further they got the lower the sound became, after around 10 minutes they arrived at the peak of the mountain

"here you go" he bent down and slowly removed his hand from her legs.

"Amazing" asuna mutters as she goes to the edge, which had a full view of the entire island; the peak was a grassy field with a few flowers and rocks laying here and there, it had a cliff edge that showed a full view of the island and the other side was the forest and trees, the moon light illuminating the sea giving it a silver hue, complete silence except for the breeze passing through being the only sound heard "an island of gold surrounded by a sea of silver" asuna stated in a soft voice as she was mesmerized by the view in front of her.

"found it a year ago when I was running away from crazy fans, thought it would be the best place to see the comet" he walks closer to the cliff next to asuna

"you are one of they people who want to see the comet" she chuckles "I didn't expect that an idiot like you would know of such things"

"That's not fair why do you always call me names and I cant" he pouts and walks towards a tree, sitting down crossing his legs and leaning his back and head on the tree trunk "then I will call you hmm…" he tried to think of some name

"it's no use, you aren't smart enough" she stuck her tongue out to him

"I've got it" he exclaimed and hit his palm with his fist, as a sly smirk appeared

"you sure 'bout it portgas" she returned his smirk and raised an eyebrow

"Thousand percent sure, heart" he replied in the same way she asked

"so now you are using my last name, huh" she takes a step forward and cracks her knuckles "portgas d ace" she emphasized his name

"you asked for this game heart d asuna" he bent his hands behind his head and whistled

"it's actually the opposite, orange"

"wha- where did you get the orange from" ace gave a confused face which caused asuna to stumble on the floor laughing "hey what's funny" he whined which only caused asuna to laugh harder

"you…hahaha….really…are…ahhh…an….idiot" she said in between laughter's

"you are not making any sense" he said in a matter-of-fact tone

"I got the color orange from your hat, and you thought I meant the fruit" she explained once she calmed down but broke again into laughter

"And here you were scared a few seconds ago" ace blew away a few strands of hair from his face "you really are a weirdo"

"hmmmm" asuna said as she stared into ace's face and focused on it, she wore a serious expression, ace tried to back away because of the distance between them, she was on all fours and there was barely any distance between their faces.

"what's wrong with you" ace stuttered as he tried to pull his head, no whole body backwards but unfortunately he was leaning on a tree trunk

"you're left eye is bigger than you're right, and you're right cheek has more and bigger freckles than left" she says and pulls away

"what" ace yelled and started to touch his face clearly panicking "what do you mean? how can they not be the same? How did I not realize it earlier" he asked quickly

"Bwahahahaha" asuna fell to the ground next to him laughing hardly "I was just joking there is nothing wrong with your face" she smiled at him and tried to suppress any more laughter, but how can she with ace's red embarrassed face, she had to admit it made him look cute and more younger

"you little brat" ace sighs as he gave up on arguing anymore, that girl did exhaust him, he leaned his head backwards and stared at the stars

"I'm not a brat, I am a young adult" she pouts as she sat in front of fire fist.

"but you act like a child" he tried to look at anything but the woman in front of him, he knew that if he saw that pout he would loose to her and that was not going to happen

"you to specially when it comes to food and meat"

"C-can't help it, it's in my genes" he stuttered which led to a chuckle from the girl still refusing to look at her, he then felt some pressure at his legs causing him to look down. The girl he was avoiding to look at was resting her head on his lap her eyes were closed, a few strands covering her face, it is then that ace noticed that she still had her tie, and saw that she had a tattoo at the back of her neck.

"why can you choose how warm or cold you can be bastard" she spoke in soft tone "and I will use you as a pillow you don't mind do you"

"ouch, is that how you currently view me a pillow" he says in an I'm-hurt tone

"Correction a warm pillow" she chuckles "even though I did nothing the whole day I cant help but feel tired"

"Great now I'm a heat radiator and a pillow, just awesome" he replies sarcastically "that hurt my pride"

"suck it up" she said rather bluntly in which ace muttered a few things that a normal person couldn't hear but of course asuna wasn't a normal person and she heard him pretty much clearly, she chuckled at what he said and she had to admit teasing him was amusing, she loves teasing people and in particular ace and usually find his reactions really funny.

"you" he suddenly spoke with slight surprise in his tone, she felt his hand brush through her neck to the spot of her recent tattoo, she slightly flinched at his touch.

"what is it" she lifted her head up and used her hands as means of support at sitting and faced the man before her

"you're tattoo stands for shanks right" he asked

"yeah what about it" she spoke with a pained tone and looked at the ground, trying to avoid his face

"it's just I thought you hated being seen as his daughter, even though you keep it a secret that tattoo will give a hint about your relationship to him" he leaned his head backwards as he flung his hands behind his head, his expression was emotionless

"So that was it" she chuckled before relaxing her head on his lap again only this time she was facing him "I thought it was something big, and no I don't hate I don't like" she smiled and closed her eyes

"it's just I thought –"

"there was this thing on my mind the whole time and I've been wandering about it"

"you're cold aren't you" he suddenly asked, asuna lifted her head up in surprise as how did he know when she said nothing, ace just smiled "sit on my lap it will make you warmer"

"I-I'm not cold" she stuttered and turned her head the other side while blushing

"liar, the way you are curled up indicated you are cold" he says in a-matter-of-fact tone "and you turned your head to the other side"

"and why should me being cold bother you"

"you just admitted it"

"I did not"

"c'mon _love_ don't be such an asshole" he teases, asuna's face beamed with red

"don't give me that 'love' and 'asshole' shit, and don't ever '_love_' me" she jerked her head upwards and poked his chest, a mischievous smirk crept up ace's face

"is that so _love_" he emphasized the word love and pulled his tie that was still wrapped in her hair causing all of her golden her to fall down on her shoulders, he took the tie and flung it around his neck

"my hair" asuna gasped "and my tie – band"

"you mean my tie that you used to tie your hair" he teased

"ace" she pouted

"yes _love_" he still kept his smirk

"just don't"

"hate it _love_" he continued teasing "it's just fun annoying you"

"how come you understand the feeling of being seen as someone's child and not yourself" she asked, seriousness in her tone. ace was shocked at the sudden question, he didn't expect to be caught off guard, he hated anything to do with his father – Gold Roger.

"Wh-what do you mean" he shrugged though his voice betrayed him, it was of hate and sorrow

"I get it, you don't want to tell me and I understand" she paused "so I will not talk about it anymore"

"thanks, you have no idea how I hate the subject"

"it's alright, I slightly hate it too" she smiled, a slight cold breeze passed by causing asuna to slightly shiver

"cold now" he extends his arm, she hesitates before taking it

"just this once" she said and sat on his lap with her head relaxing on his chest, warmth enveloped her quickly. They stayed silent for a while to the extent asuna was able to hear ace's heart beat, it was fast and slow at the same time she couldn't till which, it was as if he was nervous about something and calm about it at the same time, she sunk into the rhythm of his heartbeat trying to figure out what it was saying.

"hey ace" asuna finally broke the silence, she lifted her face so she can look at him, there was something in her eyes that made ace feel pained

"what" he asked

"How long will you stay, I mean after the games are over how long will you rest before you continue chasing Blackbeard"

"ohhh" he swallowed "perhaps a week or so why?"

"I know that you are strong, really strong" she looked at him directly in the eye, ace was shocked to see them slightly watery "but you are not strong enough yet" she tightly clutched the collar of his shirt

"what are you saying with not strong enough" he growled, he hated being thought as weak especially by asuna

"Blackbeard, I only met him once in the games last year and his strength was overwhelming, back then he didn't eat a devil fruit, he had raw power" she paused and exhaled "he is dangerous ace, it's best to avoid him for a while until you get stronger than he is, I know you want to make thatch rest in peace but hurrying to your death isn't that way"

"I know" ace finally spoke "he might be more dangerous since he ate a devil fruit but I wont die, I will defeat teach and make thatch rest in peace"

"promise, you will come back alive" she rubbed her eyes, though the tears never fell

"yeah" he nodded


	29. a comet and a thousand kisses

**A/N: yay we finally have some advancement in the story, got some love in this chapter at last but i have a little warning, it may be badly done as it is my first scene to write be kind enough to ignore my silly mistakes and read on. also i want to say i am surprised today is the jun 3 and i already have 183 views which is totally unexpected i mean just two days passed since the start of the month, but i am proud of myself that i achieved this much in 2/3 days and that i reached this far in my story, specially last month because of exams i felt like giving up on it but when i see my views for the may and read 741 views for an inactive month i'm like wow, and so i would like to use this chance to say thank you for my readers every view gives me hope to continue this story and so i will try my best to complete it. anyways i talked a lot and i think you would prefer reading the story so go ahead.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 27: a comet and a thousand kisses**

"_I know" ace finally spoke "he might be more dangerous since he ate a devil fruit but I wont die, I will defeat teach and make thatch rest in peace"_

"_promise, you will come back alive" she rubbed her eyes, though the tears never fell_

"_yeah" he nodded_

"Idiot I mean promise seriously not just a yeah and a nod" asuna scolded and chuckled, by now her grip on his collar had loosened and her hands were draped around his shoulders.

"you really are demanding" he sighed

"pinkie swear" she pouted and held her pinkie in front of his face

"aren't you a little young for pinkie swears"

"You are never to young for anything" she smiled, again it was the same smile that made ace melt

"Lets make promises like adults do" he wrapped his pinkie around hers and pulled her hand down.

"Wha – mmm" she was cut off when a pair of warm lips crashed into hers, the action surprised her but soon she closed her eyes and kissed back as she recognized they belonged to ace, he on the other hand was expecting a smack or a punch not a kiss back. He broke their first kiss for air, but kept their heads locked together, he stared into her shocked face that was still trying to comprehend what just happened

"ace I" asuna didn't know how to reply as she was still trying to recover, she still felt the burning sensation on her lips. '_Ace kissed me, but why did he, and why am I scared and nervous, why am I acting like this_'

"I promise to come back alive and marry you, got any problem with that" he smiled as he caressed her cheeks, he didn't ask her to be his wife he rather demanded her to be, but to his luck asuna didn't hear what he said she was still in a shock state

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked once she recovered from her shock

"why did you kiss back" he questions back trying to avoid her question

"because…." She trailed of not wanting to admit the truth and fear of being rejected "don't answer my question with a question" she snapped "so why did you kiss me"

"because I felt like it" he replies rather quickly and without any thought or hesitation "so now my turn why did you kiss back" he smirked

"It was a involuntary response" she smiled "but you are a good kisser, guess being a playboy comes with advantages"

"you're not bad yourself" he pecks her nose and wraps his arms around her waist "so do you have any problem with getting married after I come back"

"yeah" asuna smiles, ace's face turns pale in fear to her reply which caused asuna to slightly chuckle "why not marry me now"

"because I wont have something to look forward to when I come back, and knowing that you will be waiting for me will increase my will to complete the mission and come back alive – at least"

"just try to come back unharmed" asuna sighed and she unconsciously wrapped her hand around his neck and started to run her fingers through his black locks

"that I can't promise but I will try to come with my limbs" he chuckled

"Oh you have to come back with them it's not an option" she whispered in his ear seductively, ace's heart throbbed faster

"hey did you just say yes that you will marry me" ace asks in a surprised tone as he registered what asuna had said a few moments ago, she looked at him trying her best not to laugh and nodded, "you know I said marriage as in being husband and wife, you will not hit or attack me" he asked confused

"yes ace I will be your wife, and no I will not hit you"

"there is no way this all real I must be dreaming" ace shook his head vigorously "it's hard to believe that you share the same feelings I have for you"

"feelings" asuna muttered '_he is serious about the whole marriage thing that he believes it's just to good to be true_' she thought and looked at ace shaking his head, she sighed and cupped his face in her hands and gave him a light kiss.

"eh" ace looked at her startled '_this is reality, that kiss was real, she does return my feelings for her_'

"I love you ace for a very long time now" she smiled but in the inside she was scared of being rejected, ace just looked at her surprised he didn't expect her to confess.

Just as ace was about to speak a ray of bluish-white light slowly came from above, they both lifted their heads up to see the comet passing by, asuna threw off her shoes and stood up pulling ace from his wrist, she hurried towards the mountain edge to have a better view of the comet.

"so beautiful" she said in a soft mesmerized tone and turned to ace "thank you for an amazing night" she hugged him and pecked his cheek before turning around and watching the comet

"glad you love it" ace said as he stood behind asuna and put a hand over her shoulder to her waist while the other pulled something out of his pocket "it is really beautiful, but not as beautiful as you" he took a glance at the comet

"you think I am good looking" she wrapped her hands around his which pulled them closely together "and what are you doing with your other hand"

"most beautiful I ever seen" he rests his face over her head and a smirk could be heard, he put his other hand at the top of her head and released a heart shaped diamond necklace – the one that completes her set, he held it so it hanged right in front of her eyes, her eyes widened at what she saw in front of her and turned around to face her future husband.

"ace" she said as amazement was in her tone

"my gift to you" he took the necklace and placed it in her hand

"how did you know"

"the way you looked at it" he smiled "so when I left with marco I went to buy it, the woman was surprised to see me and gave me a discount" he chuckled

"This is one of the many reasons as why I love you" she chuckled and slightly stood up on her toes to place a kiss at his jaw line, after all she was standing on her bare foot and ace was slightly taller than her.

"but I love you more" he pouted

"Yes, you love me more" she chuckled and gave him the necklace; she turned around and held her hair upwards. Ace took the necklace and draped it around her neck and locked it into place. "but I love you more than more" she smiled

"Oh I don't think so" he smirked and turned her so she was facing him, asuna placed her hands on his chest and gripped the neck line of his shirt as he had wrapped his around her waist, he bent down so their faces were an inch apart "because I love you the most".

Their lips intertwined in a passionate kiss, ace being cheeky and quite the playboy bit asuna's lower lip, she smirked in their kiss and opened her mouth giving him entrance, he darted his tongue inside her mouth, their tongues started playing and dancing with each other before entering a fierce battle in which asuna gave up giving her lover dominance. Asuna raised her hand upwards and wrapped her hands around ace's neck pulling him closer while he pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss, the passion and burning sensation increased by each second, slowly kissing the other harder and fiercely. "Mmm" asuna moaned as ace slightly bit her lower lip again, and she felt ace smirk against her lips. She felt his warm fiery mouth invade her own, licking every corner of her nectarous mouth tasting the alcohol she had earlier leaving a burning trail inside of her. After a while of kissing – correction making out – they both parted for air, asuna was blushing madly as she lowered her head due to being slightly shy; ace pulled her into a hug and rested his chin atop her crown

"Ace" she asks softly

"yes" he replies, sleep obvious in his tone, asuna figured he would have a fit in a while

"can I borrow your jacket, I'm starting to get cold"

"Why didn't you say this sooner" he took of the jacket and adorned it over her shoulder, asuna smiled and slid her hands in and closed one button, it was large for her as her hands were lost in the sleeves but non the less it kept her warm

"it may be baggy on me but it's better than nothing" she pulled her hair out of the jacket so it flew on her shoulders "and it's much comfier"

"why did you remove your jacket in the first place" ace asks as he pushes a few strands of hair from asuna's face to behind her ear

"This reminds me" she smirks and looks into his eyes "why were you glaring at me and all the men who looked at me, don't tell me you are jealous"

"Jealous pffft" ace denied and looked to the other side "if anyone is jealous it would be you after all you were also glaring at me and nel the whole time"

"I admit I got jealous of the way she was flirting with you, and I hated it that's why I was trying to get myself wasted so I can forget about it"

"still it doesn't give you any valid excuse for what you did" he stated in a matter-of-fact tone "those men are pirates and you don't know what was going on in their minds, the way they looked at you was as if they wanted to eat you, they could've raped you and done many horrible things"

"so you are jealous" she raised an eyebrow "just admit it"

"Okay maybe a tiny bit" ace sighed; he knew that arguing with this woman in particular isn't going to be successful

"A tiny bit"

"okay a lot, just don't remind me of that scene, it took me a lot not to burst at them" he huffed

"besides if a man tries to touch me he will meet his fate"

"of course he will" he gave her a peck on the nose "I will burn him to ashes"

"that is after a make him into a bloody corpse" they both chuckled

"you are mine and will always be mine" he declared, asuna smiled and blushed at his statement which made ace slightly blush

"you know you are really cute and adorable when you blush"

"sh-shut up" he stuttered and turned his head to the other side

"hahahahahahaha, I like it though" she leaned up to his ear and whispered in a seducing tone "love" and bit his earlobe

"I thought I am the only one who can say love, darling" he emphasized the word 'darling' as he leaned down and placed blazing kisses down her neck and on her shoulders

"Ace~" asuna moaned grabbing his black locks pulling him closer to her and leaned her head backwards as ace kept on placing kisses all over her leaving a trail of fiery blazing sensation into her skin, "unnn….uhhh ace~" asuna kept moaning in delight, she suddenly flinched when ace bit her and started sucking up the skin leaving a mark.

"this is a proof that now you are mine" he removed one of his hands that was on her waist and moved it to caress her.

"even without proof I will always be yours" ace was about to blush when suddenly everything went blank and he fell over asuna, tripping her to the ground and landing on top of her.

"Perhaps a little warning next time," she sighed and pushed ace from atop her body and to the ground gently, she stared at the stars for a while. The white hue from the comet was starting to fade and the sky was slowly starting to return into becoming pitch black with the exception of the stars dotting the sky. She turned around and lied on her stomach, using her hand as support as she cupped her face and looked at ace's sleeping figure, he would snore very now and then but he had a peaceful expression, asuna knew that she shouldn't disturb him now after all she didn't like it when someone disturbed her sleep. She stood up and flung his hand over her shoulder and dragged him to the tree trunk from earlier, she sat down and place his head on her lap and ran her fingers over his frame.

"cute" she giggled "like a child" she removed her hand from his face and began counting his freckles "12, 13, 15, 14, 15 aghhhh I got lost" asuna groaned as it was almost her 5th time to lose track or scramble up the count, in the end she gave up.

Lifting her head up and staring at the night sky she sighed '_why am I scared of our relationship, why am I afraid that something might go wrong, I am happy and I feel that the void in my heart is fixed, but I feel like a simple word could shatter my heart, just like last time, I don't want to be used again. All I wanted is to love someone and be loved back, now I got ace but why do a part of me rejects him, no the whole idea, why am I scared of falling in love with him. I have finally got the missing piece of my puzzle but why is it that it seems to be out of place. I love him like crazy and now I got the chance to show it to him, I'm marrying the fool but I'm scared of what to do after. That's right I'm scared of being played around with, and to be used, I almost lost 'it' last time to that asshole, it's all his fault if I hadn't been fooled by the likes of him I would love ace without being afraid without hiding the fact that I'm not opening my heart fully to him, I no longer know what to do_'

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ace slowly opened his eyes after falling asleep, he realized that there was a hand the right side of his face, it was soft and smooth, he then noticed that there is something under his head, now fully awake it dawned at him that he was sleeping on asuna's lap. He slowly raised his head and sat up to see asuna's head slightly tilted and there was a peaceful expression adorning her sleeping face with the exception of tear marks.

'_why was she crying_' ace thought to himself as he continued studying her face, placing an arm around her back and one beneath her knees and drawing her closer to his chest, ace stood up and carried his fiancée's sleeping figure bridal style "sorry kept you awake and alone for a while, it's getting late better head back to town" he whispered and made his way down the mountain through the forest.

Half way down asuna murmured a few things in her sleep that ace didn't understand, but what surprised him is that somehow she lifted her hands upwards and flung them around ace's neck, cuddling into him. "dreaming?" ace whispered to himself as he took a glance at the woman in between his arms.

He walked like this for a few minutes before she blinked her eyes open slowly like a child, "huh, ace" she muttered as she slowly moved her head away from his chest, ace noticed the exhaustion in her tone which made him a bit concerned.

"sorry for falling asleep and making you wait alone"

"it's okay" she went back and rested her head back onto his chest

"rest we are almost out of the forest" he ordered, they walked like that for a few minutes with asuna running her fingers through his jet black locks

"ace" her tone changed into a serious one and she hugged him tighter and nuzzled her nose in his neck, ace felt something cold run through the skin of his neck, what startled him was the sniff he heard

"oi, why are you crying" he asked with a hint of panic in his voice

"I have to tell you something really important" she lifted her head up and looked directly in his onyx colored eyes.

"Asuna" ace spoke in surprise as he saw the pain and determination blazing in her own emerald orbs and then he knew that she was serious about what she was going to say, all he hoped is it was something good.

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**cliffhanger ending!**

**next chapter: the ex-boyfriend**

**asuna's fear of falling in love will be ****revealed, the chapter will be longer than any of the ones that i written they range from 1500-3000 while the next chapter currently is over 5000 words, i yet have to edit it and who knows it may be longer, and i am experimenting a new style instead of saying '_you_' i'm going to say '_I_' so i am trying my best to make it good, in return i want you my dear readers to choose which way should i write. i'm going to set a poll on my profile page feel free to vote and once i will post the chapter - hopefully tonight - i would like to have some feedback.**


	30. the ex-boyfriend

**A/N: as i promised my dear readers that i will try and post it today and here you are, after a while of proof reading and editing i managed to finish this extra long chapter which is approximately without A/N 6411 words in word document, i also used a slightly different style in the story and would like some feedback if you have time other than that enjoy the chapter**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 28: the ex-boyfriend**

"_I have to tell you something really important" she lifted her head up and looked directly in his onyx colored eyes._

"_Asuna" ace spoke in surprise as he saw the pain and determination blazing in her own emerald orbs and then he knew that she was serious about what she was going to say, all he hoped is it was something good._

"If we are going to be married then you better know this" she said in a tone that was serious but sad and pained, with a hint of fear

"If it is something you don't want to talk about then don't force yourself to saying it, perhaps when you feel more comfortable about it"

"No" she snapped "I have to tell you this now"

"O-okay" ace shrugged nervously

"But first let me ask you something" she sighed, ace nodded and saw how serious she was "a scale from 1 to 10 how much to you love me"

"100" he replied

"I said from 1 to 10"

"That scale isn't big enough" he smirked

"Okay then if someone hurt me what would you do" she swallowed

"I'll burn him to ashes obviously"

"What if that person was a friend of yours"

"what do you mean by friend"

"as a crew member of the whitebeard pirates or an ally" her tone hushed slightly

"I will give that person a good beating up and a lesson"

"okay…." she trailed of at his reply "and what if that person was whitebeard himself"

ace was silent for a while and asuna took it as it hit the mark but she was surprised when ace said "I will have a talk to him and understand why he did so and pops would never do such a thing, but to make things clear when I return now I will declare to them not to lay a hand on you"

"I see" asuna was in deep thought for a while, she was looking down at ace's chest, she had to admit she never thought that ace was this much protective to even threaten his own crewmates.

"what's with you and all those questions" he asked curiously

"just wanted to know if you really love me or you were just going to use me" she shrugged

"use….." ace was confused and curious at what asuna meant by using her.

"before you almost more than half a year ago I had a boyfriend, his name was earl" she started "I ended up being used and was almost killed in the process"

"and where the hell is that earl bastard" ace growled as his grip tightened around her

"I killed him" she gulped

"….."

"I'll tell you the details" she sighed and looked at him, he wasn't looking at her but instead was looking at the road ahead, ace was a bit angry about the idea of this earl bastard using his fiancée but what bothered him is how did he use her

**Flashback /story telling / asuna's POV**

"_It was last year after the games had ended that the crew was celebrating, we partied for three days straight, on the fourth day pretty much everyone bailed out we no longer were able to stand the hangover, believe me my head hurt like shit, so I used that day to help myself recover. I went to this bar to ease the pain but I was out of money and that's when I met him._

"_Hey there" a muscular man with tanned skin and brown hair reaching up to his neck approached me, he had this accent that was funny and yet charming_

"_Hi" I replied back groaning_

"_How about I treat" he smiled, it was a smile, I hate to admit it but that smile was hell charming, so of course I couldn't refuse, so he paid for my drink and helped me out of the bar._

"_It must be an extreme hangover you had, I'm earl" he smiled and stretched his hand for me to shake_

"_Asuna, nice to meet you earl-san" I took his hand and we walked around, we talked about different things mainly why I got the hangover, somehow we ended up at the park and that's when everything started._

"_Here take a seat, and I will go grab us some cotton candy" he sat me down and went the snack trailer that was run by a man and his two daughters and a 7-year-old boy. I was young and naïve so I didn't notice at all, no I chose to ignore that he was flirting with both girls, he ended up getting us one big cotton candy with two ice-creams; one vanilla the other chocolate, and two bottles of water for a cheap price, and had the little boy help him carry the food. Any girl would be impressed by his charms, and I was one of those girls._

"_Here you go onee-chan" the boy said as he handed me the water and cotton candy, I took them from him and patted his head_

"_Thank you young man" I praised him, the boy blushed and ran away. Earl came holding the ice cream in his hand and chuckled at the boy when he ran past him_

"_He's a great boy, wish I had one like him" he muttered the last part_

"_Huh?" I asked slightly confused by what he meant, he gave me a reassuring smile as I took a bite from my cotton candy_

"_I have a little brother a bit older than that boy, and way more annoying I wish he was as kind as that boy, that's why if I ever have a son I will want him to be kind, smart and all of that, as well I will be the father my dad never was" he said, little did I know that he was lying, faking it all and of course the stupid hangover blinded my haki._

"_Ohh, it seems like you have a terrible history with your father" I said more like asked in a curious tone causing him to chuckle_

"_Never liked the man, he wanted me to be a tradesman while I wanted to be a sailor and write a book about the sea, and he kept telling oh pirates this and pirates that, but in the end I followed my own decision and here I am, the one place in the entire world he would least expect" he sat next to me as I nodded and took another bite from the cotton candy "so what about you, it seems you have parental problems"_

"_How did you know that" I played along, after all I wont open up to any stranger_

"_The fact that you are a pirate, and that you suffered from a hangover proves me right so what happened between you and your old folks?"_

"_You mean the fact that they were never there for me well I got problems with that"_

"_Chocolate or vanilla" he extends both ice-creams I grabbed the chocolate one "so how were they never there for you"_

"_Well my mum died when I was little, and my dad well he got married of to some woman and moved to a different town, I was told he wanted to join the marines as a warrior of justice and that they pay better, then I chose to ignore it" you lied sarcastically _

"_So what's his name"_

"_If I tell you don't laugh"_

"_I wont"_

"_Honestly I don't have a single clue of what his previous or changed name is nor do I know how he looks like"_

"_How old where you when this all happened"_

"_Hmmm…..let me see, I was around 2 or 3" you faked a thinking pose "yup 2 and a half"_

"_At least you didn't have to put up with it your whole life"_

"_Well putting up with your foster mother is worse believe me" I tried to make it as real as possible, to tell the truth miles was a pain in the ass she was to bossy, and tomboyish which is one of the reasons that explains my attitude_

"_You were adopted"_

"_Yeah a friend of my dad's she gave me 'special training' so I will become a marine" I emphasized the word 'special training' to make it more believable, and hell did he believe me_

"_Well I feel sorry for you and slightly for your dad, but follow what your heart tells you and live your life as you want it to be"_

"_That's what I tell myself, listen to your heart and live your life to the fullest without any regrets and make of yourself a legend as you cannot be an immortal being" I smiled, well that was true it is one of my motto's my main is 'drink to your hearts content and suffer the hangover to live the next day' I know it doesn't make sense but that is me._

"_So how old are you" he asked suddenly_

"_19" I licked my ice-cream, I don't know how stupid of me to tell my exact age but oh well, I was just a child recently introduced to love_

"_Hmmm….only a three year difference 22" he replied and stated his age as I seemed confused by his statement_

_After that we ate the ice-cream and shared the cotton candy, exchanged den den mushi numbers, the day passed by just like that, he made it seem that I didn't suffer a hangover, being a gentleman he escorted me back, luckily I arrived in time to watch the sunset._

"_So I will see you tomorrow then" he says awkwardly as if he wasn't sure I will be there or the fact that I want to meet him._

"_Sure thing, I will meet you at the same place at the park tomorrow at 10.30" he smiled, to be honest I don't know why but I was thrilled to meet him again._

"_10.30 it is" he leaned and kissed my cheeks, it was the first time a guy had kissed me like that and so it felt as if my heart was on fireworks._

_The next day I woke up at 8 and got myself dressed up, I was happy to see him and I couldn't wait, it was the first time I wore a pink skirt or anything pink as a matter of fact, I remember also sporting a pink sleeves shirt with white trimmings leaving a few buttons at the top undone, I also remember it was one of the first times I straightened my hear, and back then it was longer. So yeah I also carried a purse, unbelievable right I was acting like a girl, once I was ready I went to the park and sat at the bench waiting unfortunately I came 20 minutes early, but all I did was wait for 15 minutes for earl to come, he was holding a bouquet of roses in his hand._

"_You're early" he said in surprise "and wow you look beautiful"_

"_Thanks" I muttered and it was one of the few times that I blushed back then_

"_Sorry to keep you waiting my love" he handed me the bouquet_

"_Seriously earl, love" I teased, I hated how he said it_

"_Okay so what would you like me to call you?" he asked_

"_Hmmm…. Goldie" I thought, I know it is a funny nickname but hey better than being called love by a total asshole_

"_Okay Goldie what would you like to do now"_

"_Probably eat and I don't know you chose"_

_So we did many things and it counted as our second date, he confessed that day at what was one of the most romantic things a guy would do; we were laying on the sand at the beach star gazing, we would point at different stars, play connect the dot and talk about random things. So we started dating and everyone in the crew knew I was dating someone but who that guy is I kept a secret, the only thing I told them was he was a traveler and writes stories about each island and town he visited, even nel was like a friend to me back then she helped me with getting ready and looking good, she would usually fight me into telling her who my mystery man is but I would always say 'secret' or 'when the time comes I will tell you'_

_We dated for almost 5 months when I discovered the shocking truth, it first started at a date a few weeks before our 5__th__ anniversary, we were approached well earl was approached by this woman she looked to be in her mid-twenties with blue silky hair and tight clothes showing her curvy and busty figure._

"_Hey earl nice to bump into you again" she smiled_

"_Same here" he replied unenthusiastically _

"_I see that you found yourself a lovely young prostitute" she said it in a rude way_

"_Excuse Me," I replied by what she said me_

"_Oh I hope you are having fun fucking my beloved earl, girlfriend number 28" she spat and left, I was shocked at what she said so I turned around and looked at earl who was angry at that woman_

"_She was my ex-girlfriend she cheated on me and wants me back desperately" he covered up_

"_And what's with the girlfriend number 28" I held myself from bursting into tears and ripping him to shreds at the same time_

"_You are my 3__rd__ girlfriend, I had one when I was 15, and tres who you just met was my girlfriend 2 years ago"_

"_Oh I thought…."_

"_She's always like this, that's what her 3 ex's before me said"_

"_I don't like this town let's go somewhere else" I bluntly asked more like demanded but nonetheless he followed, so we spent the day like any other, and at night we had a little make out session. But when we went to our separate rooms I couldn't help but feel something is wrong with what he said and that there is something that I need to know. After 2 days I went back to the crew and obviously benn was the first to notice my expression_

"_Is there something wrong with that asshole you call boyfriend"_

"_My boyfriend is not an asshole, and second try minding your own business, third get a girlfriend your hair is half grey" I snapped at him, benn was surprised at me never did I talked to him like that, actually I never talked to any crew member like that_

"_Watch it young lady" he growled, I just rolled my eyes to his reaction and left to my quarters, there I lied down on my bed and thought for a while. I decided to appear before our anniversary and 'stalk' him, so I can know the full truth. I searched through my stuff for my den den mushi, it took a while to find it through the slightly messed up room and once I did I dialed earl's number_

"_hello" a woman answered his phone, I was silent and didn't know what to say in shock, I could also hear a small kid's voice in the background_

"_umm…is there someone on the phone" the woman asked again snapping me out of my thoughts I was about to reply_

"_earl-sama there is a phone call for you" she said from the other side '-sama' I thought and wandered who she is, they said a few things on the other side but I didn't seem to notice, but what caught my attention was the last part._

"_yes sir, I have already send the report and the mail is stacked on your desk" she said in a formal tone_

"_is that all" he asked, I think the woman nodded because the next thing he said was "okay then you're dismissed"_

"_earl" I didn't bother if I said his name out loud "who was that woman"_

"_my secretary, she was finishing a few papers and was about to leave when she you called"_

"_there was a kid in the background"_

"_ohh…that is her…son, yeah her youngest son" he hesitated, I could tell that he was hiding something, so I decided to take out my tracking set and connected it with my den den mushi_

"_oh I see" I played along, now I needed to know the truth for sure_

"_so what is it that you want" he said it bluntly, I tried my hardest to not explode or destroy a thing, he really did piss me off, what the hell was that reaction is this how you speak to your girlfriend and what is with that attitude it was as if he was trying to get rid of me_

"_say I was wondering, our 5__th__ anniversary is coming up and I want it to be a little special" I said in a seducing tone that I didn't know I could pull_

"_yeah I will I had it already planned I will meet you at foodvalten, since I am going to write about it next, we will meet there at the 10__th__ I know we are a bit early but I don't know how long I will stay and maybe you shall help me with writing and stuff"_

"_sure thing" I replied in a happy-go tone, what he didn't know is that I grasped the coordinates of his location, all I had to do is find out which island lies within the coordinates._

"_bye Goldie"_

"_bye" I tried my best not to growl, shutting the den den mushi I walked to where one of my room mates usually keeps a dart board under her bed with a wanted poster of a freckled idiot on it, I hung it up and let my anger out at the poor guy, and I accidentally threw one dart that broke the board into two halves through the wall and almost hitting benn, which is a surprise as what was he doing in the women's quarters_

"_what's wrong with you" he asked as he peeked his head through the door_

"_you're right about the double woman cheating asshole burning idiot" I snarled "agghh I have no idea what I'm actually talking about"_

"_breathe in and out, calm down and tell me" he ordered, I did as what he said and sat down on the bed, I told him what happened back at town a few days ago about that woman and how I felt, then I explained my call earlier when a woman picked up and there was a child in the background, and earl trying to make excuses, his tone showed clear panic, and that I got his location but I still have to check it out._

"_I had a very bad feeling about that earl guy from the start" benn stated, yes he was the first to now his name "so what are you going to do about this situation that you got yourself into"_

_I smirked and pumped my fist in my palm "I will hunt him down and get to the truth of it, can't believe I wasted my second- first kiss on him" and with that I left the room to the supposed small library / study room. I almost spent an hour or two in there, until finally I found the right map and pinpointed his location, it was on some island that was close to a marine base, with this lead it rose to my suspicions. I sighed and checked our location and that island's, it was a three-day travel by ship._

"_benn" I yelled as I made my way out of the study room, I found him scolding shanks about being hangover and still drinking._

"_what is it" he asks slightly irritated at shanks trying to use me as and escape decoy_

"_you're not going anywhere" I grabbed shanks from the collar "follow me, I need to talk to you BOTH" I emphasized the word 'both' to show how I am dead serious about it, I entered back to the study room and closed the door._

"_so what is the important thing" shanks asked as if he would remember anything I said._

"_you know what I talked about earlier benn" I asked, he nodded in reply. Shanks looked at us as he had no clue what we are talking about_

"_I'll go do some spying and gathering information, it will take three days to reach my destination, and I'm not sure how long I will spend collecting info"_

"_three days to reach that island, and you have no idea how you will stalk 'that' person" he sighs_

"_stalk who, what are you guys talking about" shanks asks trying to grasp an idea of the conversation_

"_it's nothing important I was saying I'll be doing some travelling for the next few days, alone"_

"_but you just came back" shanks pouted like a 10 year old, I chuckled at his reaction_

"_don't worry after I'm done I will not leave the ship for another three months, I will stick to the side of you drunkards" I smiled_

"_as if you aren't one" he muttered under his breath, which caused both benn and I laughed our asses off. "what's so funny" shanks asked in a childish tone – the effects of alcohol on him._

_So I prepared my stuff, and took out my small raft / boat and took off at around noon, thanks to the wind for being on my side and because I also increased my power input I arrived at the next island at around sunset. I choose to spend the night there and gather information about the island I was headed to. Apparently it was called _Heiwa no ōkoku_ and a section of the island was dedicated to the families of some marine officers and is under the protection of marine branch G-1, though a regular amount of pirates visit the island most of the time they are ignored and civilians choose not to contact the marines. So yeah most of the time it is safe to visit but what actually caught my attention was a section for marine families._

_Since I barely had some sleep, I threw a hundred beli on the counter and escaped before the owner of the inn finds me, I made my way back to my skiff and set sail a few minutes before dawn, first thing I did was head to the other side of the island and pick up some snacks and an eternal pose, then I made my way to the next island to arrive after sunset by an hour, and it was the same routine as the day before. I found out that marines rarely visit the island and that it houses the homes of the families that lost their relatives who work as marines. At around before dawn I set sail and went to _Heiwa no ōkoku, _arrived in about six hours at around noon, I hid my skiff at some cave at the edge of some forest after all that area seemed pretty much deserted to me which was later proven right._

_I looked around the forest, it seemed normal to me and so I decided to check the town, there were a few small villages here and there, they were quite normal and peaceful to me, everyone got along, I spotted a few pirate ships docked at different villages but it seemed like over quiet so I went and checked it out. But before that I wore a baseball hat with some sunglasses and changed to a orange loose skirt slightly above the knee with a beige sleeveless shirt with orange trimmings matching the skirt and combed my hair straight, wore some black calf length combat boots, I had no idea why but it made me look slightly from the upper class._

"_one bottle of sake please" I asked the bartender as I sat down playing with a few metal bracelets that I also wore_

"_you aint from around here are you" the bartender asked, I shock my head in response "so what does an upperclassmen like you doing here, it's dangerous you know"_

"_I'm already used to danger" I replied as I took in a sip of my sake, it seems my disguise has worked and I am one of the rich people_

"_the place is crowded by pirates, for a young lady like you it is dangerous if you wish to enjoy yourself head to the upper town, _kizu no machi_"_

"kizu no machi?_" I asked the bartender as it had a weird name, who would name their town as a scar._

"_oh yeah almost forgot you are not from around here, _kizu no machi_ is the name of the town were widows or orphaned children whose parents were marines live there, that is the meaning behind the name" the man explained_

"_so meaning that any person who lost a marine father, brother, sister, son, daughter, wife or any of those gets to live there"_

"_exactly, that's why pirates don't approach that town, only marines and their families or noble people can get permission to enter the town, also if you are rich enough you can buy your entrance ticket"_

"_old man you seem like you know a lot about this _kizu no machi_"_

"_how did you know" he chuckled "used to live up there, but the place seemed dead"_

"_I almost forgot the reason why I came to this island in the first place" I pulled a photo of earl that I tore in half, removing me from the picture "hmm…do you know who this guy is"_

"_ohhh carlos-san, from where did you get this" he asks curiously, the second he said 'carlos-san' I got that very bad feeling when something is going to hit you hardly and you don't seem to register that you got hit by it, it was that sort of feeling._

"_oh this, got it from my superior, I was told that he was a traveler who writes about the islands he visited , and was asked to investigate about him, perhaps my superior would like to summon him" I lied_

"_oh yeah carlos-san is indeed a traveler, he writes books for children aspiring to become marines as his father was one, also he writes reports on the islands for marines you know like the population how many pirates visit whose territory it belongs to, he lives up at _kizu no machi_ with his wife and son, though most of the time he is at sea specially the past few months he was going there lately and comes back happy as if he discovered something, sometimes old folks like me wander if he will end up being a pirate, you know he used to argue with his father a lot, that's as far as I know" the man said, after every single sentence it was like there was a dagger pierced in my heart._

"_do you know how old he is" I asked trying to hide any signs of being hurt_

"_oh yeah he is 32" at his words I felt hurt more then ever, I couldn't believe I was in love with an old man_

"_thank you that's all I needed to know" and with that I made my way out of the bar and hurried back to the cave where I hid my skiff, once I reached there I fell on the floor and poured my eyes out, I kept crying through the night, once it became morning I recollected myself and changed to my normal attire and called earl._

"_hey there Goldie" he said in a happy tone_

"_it's over earl" I said coldly_

"_what do you mean over"_

"_I'm breaking up with you and I don't want anything to do with you anymore, have fun fucking your secretary" I snapped at him and shut the den den, I cried again for almost an hour, before I picked up the den den mushi and dialed a number_

"_hello" a person replied_

"_benn here" I managed to say_

"_oh just a second asuna-san I will go get him" the person said and left, after a few minutes benn came and picked the den den mushi up_

"_hey, so how did it go" he asked, I stayed quiet for a minute "don't worry no one is here"_

"_meet me at port haregoen as soon as possible and alone, I will arrive there at around sunset, what about you"_

"_will make it after sunset by two hours or so"_

"_great see you then, oh and don't tell shanks about me"_

"_got it" he hung up the den den mushi and went, I packed my things and left immediately, I used more magic to power my skiff so I can escape that island as quick as possible, to make my day worse a marine battleship was passing by and started firing at me, used the opportunity to release my anger at them though it did slightly work I still felt hurt, those few hours drained a lot of my energy as if I was fighting against a buster call._

_I found an inn and ordered two separate rooms, I went around the port and ate at some restaurant, when it came to paying I gave them ¾ the bill and escaped. After almost 5 hours of waiting benn just arrived and met up with him, I told him the whole story and how I was planning to have sex with earl for our 5 month anniversary, and how lucky I am to find the truth before losing 'it' to some person like earl. We stayed at the town for 3 days before heading back to the red force._

_Once I'm back I threw everything related to him, and for some reason I realized that he was holding my freedom back, I did whatever I wanted without anyone annoying me – except shanks, roo and yasopp – after that incident by a month a man named Lucius joined our crew. Little did I know that Lucius was in fact earl but he was using another name, and showed us a fake bounty poster, I didn't meet him until the night of the celebration party, that's when I was walking in the halls that I bumped into him, I apologized and when I looked up horror was written all over my face._

"_earl" I snarled at him "what the hell are you doing here"_

"_I go by the name Lucius and I'm a member of your crew now" he smirk_

"_screw you being a member of the crew, I'm going to tell–" he cut me off before I completed my sentence, by slamming me to the wall and covering my mouth, he kneeled down and I felt his breath on my very skin, it was ticklish and I hated it._

"_telling you're papa I see, miss Le Roux" he whispered in my ear, my eyes widened in shock as how did he know who I was "you're a good liar, but I know better" he removed his hands from my mouth_

"_what is it that you want" I growled at him "if you just lay a hand on a member I will kill you got it"_

"_I'm here for fun and to write a book from a pirates point of view" he lifted his head up and I glared at his hazel eyes which caused him to chuckle "and to get my lovely girlfriend back"_

"_I'm afraid I'm dating someone else" I lied_

"_nice try" he chuckled "I told you, I know better"_

"_and I hate you, I fucking hate you" after my statement he laughed hardly and let go of me and continued his way to wherever he was headed, unknown to him benn was close by watching the scene, as soon as earl was out of sight I ran to where benn was._

"_that bastard how does he know about you" benn growled_

"_that's what I want to know, I never told him about you guys, I told him my dad was a marine and that he got re-married and changed towns when my mum died when I was three"_

"_just what does he want"_

"_you asking me off all people who was pinned onto the wall by him"_

"_just don't tell anyone or cause panic, and don't do anything reckless" benn warned_

"_I need to get some booze and sink in it" I declared as I stumped off. After that whole thing with earl I drank almost 18 barrels and the party had yet to start, I was really drunk to the extent that I didn't know what was going on around me, after a while I noticed I was being dragged into the forest by someone, when I lifted my face up I saw it was none other than earl, when I tried to let go he kissed me with lust, I tried to push him but because I was drunk I couldn't gather and energy to move. _

_Somehow we were at the end of the forest, and my hands were chained to a tree branch with sea stone cuffs and chains, earl was kissing my entire body and was touching some places he shouldn't, whenever I tried to scream he would kiss me hardly, he forced my legs around his waist as he held my ass using one of his hands, and the other trailing all over my body, before I knew it, he got rid of my jacket, shirt and tank top just keeping my bikini top, also he somehow had taken my boots and thigh-length socks, before I knew it he took of my belt and was starting to unbutton my shorts, that's when I realized he was raping me._

_I got angry, frustrated and snapped, somehow in my drunken state I managed to push him off, broke the chains and started attacking him – I really did lose it, my sanity._

_After throwing random attacks at him which were missed, a marine battle ship approached, that's when I realized earl was actually a marine, a few marines made their way to the shore and started attacking me, I defended myself as strong as I can in my drunken state till I completely had it with them and earl, so I prepared a powerful attack and caused an explosion, which didn't go unnoticed by the drunken crew. Unfortunately I was also caught in the explosion and gained minor injuries a few cuts here and there but no serious damage and I was covered with blood, the next thing I know was benn running over to me, he was the only person not to be drunk and by the looks he was serious and angry._

"_hey asuna wake up" he yelled in panic_

"_my body hurts like hell" I sniffed, benn grabbed my jacket and closed it zip not bother to dress me into my top and shirt_

"_it's alright, they're all dead" he looked at the burning and destroyed battleship and the bodies of the marines _

"_earl he tried to–" I broke down and started crying into Benn's shirt, he looked at the worst and most damaged corpse of the marines to identify it to belong to earl._

"_let's leave from this island" he said and carried me on his back all the way to the ship, we met a few crew members who were there to investigate and told them that Lucius was actually a marine and that he attacked me and that I destroyed the ship, but the actual truth was known to shanks and his most trusted men. _

_Once we got off the island which was the next morning, and waited for shanks to sober up, I told him everything that happened, at first he was pissed that I hid the fact that Lucius was my ex-boyfriend and what pissed him more that he was a married man with a son and he was cheating with a girl more than a decade younger than him. But in the end he was glad that I was okay and that our ship's / captain's little dirty secret – in other words me being his daughter – was kept hidden."_

**END FLASHBACK / STORY TELLING / 3****RD**** PERSON POV**

Asuna sniffed as tears kept falling from her eyes, she looked up to see ace and noticed his angry expression, she also noticed that his grip around her noticed, right now asuna was weak, she couldn't do anything if ace tried to hurt her '_maybe it was a bad idea telling him now_' she thought after all who would love a person like herself after all what she went through

"sorry" ace muttered though his tone was as if he was suffering, he pulled asuna into a hug

"eh" asuna looked surprised at ace's action but nonetheless hugged back

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, and I promise that I will never do such thing" he hugged asuna tightly, never did he see her this much vulnerable and that's when he decided to do anything to protect her from such experiences.

"it's alright, it wasn't your fault" she spoke softly and shock her head

"if only I realized earlier, you wouldn't have gone through that" he paused before continuing "I will protect you whatever the costs are, no one will ever lay a hand on you"

"thank you" she whispered as she kissed his cheeks, to asuna this was a moment she wanted to cherish, now she understood when love is real or when it is a lie, when the one you love is ready to lay his life down for your happiness. Right now ace's embrace what mattered for her, if she could stop time and be between his arms for all eternity she would, she wanted all the warmth and love be given to her, she wanted to get over this trauma and return to her old self, the one that ace would love the most the one she spent most of the time with him, the unscarred one the innocent and pure one. She vowed to herself that no one will steal her love with ace, no they both decided to dedicate their lives to the other, to unite and become one – yes that's what their marriage was going to be about completing the other.

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**Heiwa no ōkoku: peace kingdom  
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**kizu no machi: scar town**

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**A/N: so what do you guys think i honestly dont know what to say about it, your feedback is important to me and dont forget to vote on my poll at my profile page as to which writing style should i use, this one or the previous one. this is it for the night my laptop is almost out of charge 4%, see you ****tomorrow**


	31. back to our hotels

**A/N: this chapter may not be good as the one i posted last night but ****at least we are somewhere and i know at the last part ace may seem ooc but thats me i write things without noticing until i finished or posted the chapter. sorry in advance if this chapter isnt living to your expectations it's just i dont know what to put in the dialogue so i will post it and try to write something good for the next chapters****  
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**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 29: back to our hotels**

Ace and asuna walked out of the forest in silence, not one single word was said, and asuna had finally stopped crying and was resting her head on ace's chest. They both cherished the moment with the others company no need for words, she could hear ace's heartbeat and she liked the rhythm it was making – a warm and loving, with a homey feel.

"ace" asuna muttered breaking the silence; ace tilted his head down to the woman who called his name

"yes" he smiled

"thanks for the amazing night, and finally I got this heavy weight lifted of my chest"

"it's what couples are suppose to do"

"ah..." she suddenly gasped and pointed a finger as if she just realized something

"what's wrong" he tilted his head in confusion

"us" she chuckled "we are one weird couple, getting married before actually dating"

"that right" he laughed "we really are weird"

"most people date for at least half a year and then get engaged, but you just straight with the question: will you marry me, before even going on one date or actually being a couple"

"hell I waited three years you want me to wait longer"

"hey, I didn't say that I want to be like normal people" she curled a lock of his hair in her finger "as if you could wait more than three years"

"we have been dating for 3 years but indirectly" he stated "and today was our first direct date"

"hmmm" asuna thought for a while before nodding which received a chuckle from ace "what's so funny" she whined

"you have the most adorable expressions and reaction in the entire world"

"now you're just flattering me"

"ouch, that pierced my heart darling" he teased

"you mean froze, cuz you're heart is made of fire" she leaned upwards and lightly kissed his cheeks, before pushing him off and standing up so she can walk on her own.

"you know you could've told me to let you down" he said using a matter-of-fact tone "you might've fell and hurt yourself"

"I'm not a sissy" she scolded

"you're my wife" he hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder as they walked down the mountain

"actually fiancée, we are not married yet" she corrected

"why do you have to correct me?"

"because I just like seeing you whine like a child"

"I…I do not whine like a child" he jerked his head backwards

"yeah right" she rolled her eyes "speaking of engagement where the hell is my ring"

"it's the necklace I gave you, if you want a ring you can pick one out and I will get it for you"

"the necklace?" she tilted her head in confusion and to look at ace who returned to resting his head on her shoulder.

"it's our thing, like you said we are no normal couple" he lightly pecked her lips

"ace"

"asuna" he teased

"I hate you" she smiled

"love you more" he pecked her lips once again

"can we keep _us_ a secret"

"of course, there is no way in hell will I go to the crew and yell the fact that I got engaged to you" he chuckled "the first to pester me would be Marco though he has his suspicions"

"huh you've got Marco, I've got nel you know she will murder me in my sleep once she finds about us" she sighed

"what about the rest of the crew?"

"if shanks if okay with it then the others have no voice in it" she smiled thinking of her father and his happiness once knowing that she befriended ace "n you what about the others"

"well pops will laugh about it and saying that I grew up, vista will start growing roses for me to give you, izo will start saying some things that I don't get, and the others will start joking , teasing and pestering me about it, specially and mostly Marco"

"guess you can slash Marco out, I got him a girlfriend so he will be to busy with elisa-chan to notice the two of us" she smirked

"did I ever tell you how amazing you are when you are being devious" ace pulled his head up and moved around so he was walking next to asuna, and swung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

"says the person who gets a smug smirk gets plastered in him when entering a fight" she teased as a mischievous smirk crossed her face.

"you don't want to go down that hill sweetheart" he warned

"wanna bet" she stepped in front of him

"you my dear got yourself in one big mess" he leaned forward and gave her a light passionate kiss.

"so what will my prize be" she asked as she flung her arms around his neck

"the winner get's to choose the place and time for our date tomorrow"

"I didn't agree that we are having a date tomorrow"

"oh you don't have a choice in it" he pulled her waist closer and gave her a deeper passionate kiss.

"I will be sure to win our lovely date" she smirked and cupped his face before giving him another light kiss. "you taste like spicy pepper, or chili sauce I don't know which, probably both"

"I do, Ms. Vanilla alcohol"

"where did the vanilla come from, I get alcohol but vanilla seriously"

"want me to taste you again"

"hmmm" she thought for a while "probably later"

they went on teasing and complementing each other about different and sometimes pointless stuff, they kept on laughing until they cleared the forest and arrived at town, they both sighed in unison as they discovered what they like in the others company which was almost about everything. It was as if they were meant to be, asuna never believed in the 'red thread of love' that binds two souls together but in that one minute she believed that it might exist and that red thread is binding them together.

"so I guess we will call this a draw" ace looked at his golden haired fiancée

"I've got no problem"

"how about we meet us at someplace tomorrow at 10 for brunch"

"you remember that tattoo shop I went to a few days ago" she waited for ace to nod which he did after thinking for a short while "then I will see you there"

"don't be late, and try to wear a good disguise"

"you are looking at one hell of a spy stalker" she smiled before wrapping her arms around his neck

"As long as that I'm the only person you stalk then I don't mind" he smirked and pulled her into a deep kiss, which she gladly returned

"I'm gonna miss you tonight" she pouted

"we will be apart for less than 12 hours you know"

"guess you're right I have to go back to that place and share a room with" she stopped and shock her head at the thought of her roommate "nel" asuna spat

"oh yeah if she asks, say you are older than me and that you know that I'm 19 and that I will turn 20 in a few weeks"

"why on earth would you be 19" asuna asked as she tilted her head in confusion

"I kind of lied when I got angry at her and gave her a five sentence lecture" ace rubbed the back of his head sheepishly

"even if you were 19 I would still love you" she pecked the tip of his nose, ace looked at her with a smile as she let go of him and proceeded to take off his jacket that she borrowed earlier handing it back to him

"wh-" he asked as he grabbed the jacket

"Wouldn't want anyone to know" she smirked and winked before turning around and walking away; she swayed her hips to the left and right, pulled her hair to the left clearly showing her new tattoo, along with her revealing dress it made ace drool. As soon as she was out of sight ace shook his head vigorously to snap out of his daze.

'_was she always this sexy and amazing, god she knows how to use that mouth of hers, that stupid earl bastard broke such delicate flower, at least he didn't go all the way and stole all of her firsts_' ace shook his head when he realized where he headed in his thoughts '_damn I never thought of sex when thinking of women, but that asuna she gives a whole new meaning to love life_'

ace sighed and started walking back to his hotel thinking about what happened the past few hours, his confession, proposal, making out with the woman he loved for over 3 years, asuna herself, what she sees in him which was: a cocky arrogant annoying over-confident bastard with a smug smirk or grin plastered to his adorable childish freckled face the whole time.

* * *

It took asuna almost 30 minutes to find her way to the hotel as she was lost in deep thought about ace, every time she would remember what happened earlier she would get flushed, full of embarrassment and loose her way back. Once she opened the main door of the hotel and made up to the penthouse, she turned the door knob slowly and cautiously, peeking her head to check if anyone was there yet, clearly there were no signs of civilization in the penthouse she closed the door and made her way into her shared room, jumping into the bed and burying her face into her pillow. After a few moments of just laying there asuna grabbed her pillow from the sides and screamed into it, she then turned to her side and breathed as she was currently lacking oxygen.

'_I'm such a klutz, I acted like a child, and I got scared. Man ace must hate me now, he would never want to see me ever again. Aghhh'_ asuna sulked in her bed '_I'm a terrible wife. huh?_' asuna blinked at what she just thought _'crap ace is so dead, how will shanks react when he knows I got engaged to ace, first he will skin him alive then ch-chop his head off then cut his limbs apart and then…then he will feed him to the sea kings, after that he….he will cook the sea kings and…..and feed the whole crew, and after I eat my share he will say that those sea kings ate ace_'

"whaaaaa" asuna bawled at the thought of her beloved getting mascaraed "shanks why would you do such things to my beloved, don't chop his limbs of and feed him to the sea kings then trick me into eating them"

"just what the hell are you talking about" said person – shanks – was leaning on the doorway of asuna's bedroom with a bottle of sake in his hands still holding up his liquor which was strange as to how depressed he was.

"you chopping _his_ head then his limbs and then feed the sea kings, and then" asuna said quickly in one breathe

"relax breathe in and out, and who is _he_ that I'm going to chop of his head"

"I wont let you touch A" asuna closed her mouth immediately as she was about to say ace's name "I'm not telling his name, and hey how long were you standing over there"

"will you relax I was there the whole time even when you screamed into that pillow, and I will not chop off anyone's head unless they attack you, here" he threw another bottle of sake that was in his other pocket to asuna, she grabbed it and looked at her father bewildered "you need to cool off, whoever that guy is must be driving you crazy just make sure it wont be like that earl incident all over again"

"ace will never hurt me" asuna shock her head, unconsciously stating her lovers name

"ace" shanks raised an eyebrow questioning what is going on between the two, asuna gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth as she realized what she had said. Shanks tapped his foot demanding an explanation from his daughter who just stood there trying to come up with some excuse or a good explanation.

"just don't hurt him please" asuna pleaded "right now he is the world to me"

"what happened to the 'I hate ace' thing" shanks asked in a curious tone, asuna opened her eyes wide in shook at her father's reaction, he was just confused at the fact that she was in love with the man who was her enemy until a few days ago.

"it was just a mask" she murmured "I had to keep my true feelings for him hidden"

"what about him, what does he think of you" his tone was of dead seriousness

"he proposed to me" she blurted "he said 3 years was a long wait, any longer and he would've gone crazy" shanks was quiet for a while, and it scared asuna of what he would do to the boy, and what would he think of their relation ship

"just don't go breaking his heart" he finally smiled before turning around and walked back to his room "I give you two my blessing and hide that hickey" he waved

"thanks dad" asuna muttered under her breathe, just then she remembered that she was supposed to keep her relationship with ace a secret "hey shanks could you keep it a secret, we don't want anyone to know"

"of course you don't, I don't know who is the person you are crazy about"

"thanks" she said before closing the door and changing into her pajamas', she kept her locket and engagement necklace on, taking a quick glance on the clock which read 12:54 before turning the lights off, she snuggled into the blanket and drifted to sleep with a smile on her face that had been missing for a long time – it was a smile of a girl madly in love.

Meanwhile at his own room, shanks laid on the bed with a bottle of sake in his hand thinking of the conversation he had with his daughter a few minutes ago, a smile rose up to his face '_ace huh? You chose ace as the man you are to be bound with forever; it's a good yet bad choice. But if it makes you happy then I don't mind, it must be nice to be in love at such a young age, obviously the same age as your mother and I fell in love, no we were a little younger than both of you, but look we have such an amazing daughter who grew up to be a great pirate like her father. If only you could see her aika, as long as you are up there will you continue to watch over our daughter and protect her till she dies of old age_'

Shanks placed his bottle of sake at the nightstand and closed his eyes, he was too drunk to think anymore, even though today he didn't drink as much his head was hurting him thanks to thinking that he did the entire day.


	32. first date

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 30: first date**

Asuna woke up to the sound of her alarm, she turned around quickly and grabbed the alarm smashing it to the wall, asuna groaned before pulling the blanket upwards covering her face. She laid there trying to fall asleep but couldn't because of that weird feeling that something is wrong, it then dawned her at what that feeling was, she sprang out of the bed and to the clock to see what time it was.

"crap 9.30 already, I was lying for 30 minutes doing nothing" she cursed and ran to the bathroom forgetting her clothes, she took a quick shower and grabbed a towel.

"man what's wrong with me" asuna face palmed as she didn't find her clothes, she slowly creaked the door of the bathroom open to find that nel was missing, her bed was neat and tidy it seemed as if she never came back last night, asuna took a big breathe and walked out of the bathroom, she grabbed a pair of undergarments and shoved them on quickly before anyone enters the room.

"shit 9.45" she quickly began to shovel through her clothes to find a pair of black jeans and a black tank top, she put them on and dug into her drawer to find a Dartmouth-green jacket, she grabbed it and a pair of black wrist length gloves, she found some loose camel colored calf length boots, and a dark colored baseball hat with a pair of black shades. She tied her hair in a lose ponytail to the right of her shoulder, she tried her best to hide her hickey which pretty much was half faded away.

She turned and spotted the clock to be 9.50 grabbing an amount of cash and shoving it in her pocket inside the jacket, she opened the door and exited the room to find yasopp lying on the couch out cold and a few feet away from him was lucky roo, asuna shrugged not wanting to know what happened.

She ran out of the hotel as fast as she can to the docks, the town was less crowded as many pirates partied and drank last night and that made it easier and faster for her, half way down she stopped and looked at the big clock in the middle of the square "9.58 I wont make it in two minutes" she panted. But still she didn't give up and ran once again to the docks, using every ounce of her energy to make it in time.

~bam~

asuna ran into someone and flew a few feet and face first to the ground, she winced in pain, but was worried if she had hit a civilian and hurt them accidently, she wouldn't mind a pirate but a civilian would make her feel guilty. Asuna stood up and dusted herself with her left hand while her right was trying to ease the pain in her nose.

"sorry" she muttered and turned around to see a man in black pants tucked in the same shade of calf-length boots, he wore a red shirt with the hands folded up till the elbow and a yellow vest left unbuttoned, he sported a plane black cowboy hat and shades. Asuna inspected the man over again and watched him stand up back again and dust himself, "ace" she asked in shock

"asuna" he looked at the woman who bumped him, she nodded and removed the shades covering her eyes.

"was I that obvious to recognize" he asked slightly disappointed

"no" she shook her head "after a close inspection I noticed your freckles and your scent, what about me?"

"you are a totally different person, making me think I ran into a civilian"

"sorry about running into you I thought that I was late but that doesn't seem the case, what 'bout you"

"I forgot to put on the alarm and I quickly got into those, so I made a quick dash to the docks, I didn't want to be late to our first date" he sighed "you?"

"I overslept and I had 30 minutes to get ready and be at the dock"

"at least we are both fashionably late" he chuckled and took his date's hand that was still massaging her nose "does it hurt" he pecked the tip of the nose.

"slightly but I'll get over it" she blushed at her boyfriend's action, but what made the moment embarrassing is when her stomach suddenly growled and ace chuckled, at that instant her face flushed a thousand shades of red.

"pick where you want to eat, brunch is on me" he extended his hand for asuna which she took and they walked down to the docks

"you're gonna pay, or will it be your famous dine and dash routine" she smirks

"that's…" ace was at loss of words, which caused his companion to chuckle

"I never did a proper dine and dash so I would love to do one"

"what you never dined and dashed" he exclaims

"I never did a proper one, I'd usually put at least a tip on the table and make a run for it"

"then you my dear have met an expert at dining and dashing, I have been doing it my whole life, ever since I was little" he smirked "never once did I have to pay for a meal"

"what about sake" asuna looks at the man who held her hand and was walking beside her "or about the time at the bar a few days ago"

"sometimes I would pay for sake, and at the bar I billed it to marco" he grinned mischievously "I always let someone pay the bill"

"that would explain how I ended up paying the bill a few days ago at the arcade"

"yup I didn't pay but you did"

"you gotta teach me that"

"and why should I teach you something bad" he replies sarcastically

"fine don't teach me, I will find a way on my own"

"so where should we go eat? What's on your mind?"

"hmmm, I want cake yup cake" she exclaims in a childish tone "then I want some ice-cream, chocolate, then cake again, and most importantly sake"

"cake it is" he pulls asuna into a alleyway, they walked for a while before turning into another alley which led to another alley composed of stairs used by the civilians living in the neighborhood, each of the houses was at least two stories long, the alleyway was decorated by different things from lanterns to laundry.

"ace this isn't a shopping neighborhood, I don't think we can find some food in here" asuna states

"I know, it's a short cut" he replies before coming at a halt at the backdoor of some house, he lets go of asuna's hand and walked to the door.

"what are you doing?" asuna asks worriedly, thinking that ace would break into someone's home.

"Mrs. grunt" ace yells as he knocks on the door "are you home"

"what…." Asuna tilts her to the side in confusion.

A big bang came from inside and asuna could hear some muttering and cursing, ace backed a few steps away from the doorstep. Soon enough the mumbling was clearer as the door was slammed open and a fit fair skinned woman around her 40's with black hair in an African braid tied up in a bun came out, she wore a chef's outfit with a hair net and was holding a whisk and a bowl in her hands beating some dough.

"who are you and what do you want, ever heard of a front door" she growled

"umm….Mrs. Grunt I'm ace remember me" he takes of his shades and hat

"oh if it isn't little ace-boy" the woman who is Mrs. Grunt exclaims in a calmer tone as a smile replaces her scowl once she notices that it was ace who she was talking to "come inside"

'_talk about a personality change_' asuna thought with a mental poker face, trying to show no emotions in reality

"oh and who's that" she shoves ace to the side so she can she asuna clearly "what do you know the little ace-boy found himself a girl at last"

"Mrs. Grunt I'm 20 so stop calling me little ace-boy" ace argues as his face was beaming red

"little ace-boy" asuna mutters as she pulls her hand to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing hardly, ace looks at her and pouts "sorry it's just so adorable"

"well why don't you two come inside rather than standing here on the street" Mrs. Grunt says as she makes way

"thanks you" asuna replies and slightly bows before entering the house followed by ace. The house was a four story building, the top two floors where for living, the first floor was divided in two, one is the kitchen and the second was a small cake shop only holding three 2-person tables and a counter, the floor was pretty much crowded – which made asuna realize why ace had her come through that road. The second floor was a 20 by 20 room, in a corner there was a small bar counter and the rest of the room was filled with tables for either 2-people, 4-people, 5-people, and there were 3 tables for 6-people. There was also a basement, which acted as a storage room for alcohol and it had a big refrigerator for the baking ingredients.

"now I see" asuna muttered as she slammed her fist into her palm

"make yourself feel at home, I will be back in a minute I just need to check on a few things and I will be back" Mrs. Grunt says as she leads the two to the staircase that led to the living quarters

"there is no need for that Mrs. Grunt" asuna scratched the back of her neck sheepishly

"I insist"

"she insists just lets go" ace pulls asuna to the staircase

"but ace" asuna tried to protest but has no idea what to say

"ace-boy" Mrs. Grunt stops ace and looks at him before smiling "you've got yourself a well mannered girl"

"y-yeah" ace stuttered as his face blushed, he quickly turned around and pulled asuna up the stairs and into the living room. Once there ace made himself comfortable and laid down on the couch and folded his hands behind his head while asuna stood there and watched him.

"aren't you making yourself a bit to much comfortable" she raises an eyebrow and folds her arms under her chest.

"yeah, but Mrs. Grant doesn't mind, I've been in here many times"

"I can see that clearly she seems very fond of you" asuna walks over to where ace is, and stands next to his waist "little ace-boy" she teased

"is that so" he pulls her down onto him knocking her hat and plants a kiss on her lips "punishment"

"then I should do it more to often" she removes her shades and put's them on the table behind her, before turning back to face ace who was under her, she placed her hands on each of his shoulders and leaned down to his face "little ace-boy" she smirked as she whispered in his ears.

"punishment time" ace smirks back, and leans forward before pulling asuna in for another kiss, this time it was harder and more passionate, ace's usual routine of biting asuna's lower lip for permission started, their tongues danced and fought with each other for dominance which asuna let ace have. Licking every part of her mouth and biting her lower lip every now and then, neither chose to break up this fiery kiss. ace had his hand caressing asuna's cheek and his other was on her waist pulling her closer towards him, while asuna had one hand on his neck and the other was playing with the jet black locks of his hair.

"ahmm, I'd rather you two not have sex on my couch" a voice at the door interrupted them. Both ace and asuna break of the kiss with flushed faces, ace jolted up to sit straight, pushing asuna of him causing her to land on the ground .

"Mrs. Grunt we weren't" ace tried to explain the situation to the owner of the voice but had no idea what to say

"you two still hadn't lost _it_" Mrs. Grunt states with a matter-of-fact tone as she place a cake on the table

"ehh?" the couple yell in unison at what Mrs. Grunt said "how?"

"simple" she smirks "whenever someone speaks of sex, you get embarrassed, shy and would do anything to changer the subject, just recently you both blushed madly and pushed each other off hardly that's enough reason"

"sorry for making out on your couch" asuna apologizes as she looks down to her leg where she was playing with her hand in embarrassment, her fringe covering her face.

"it's okay, I had sex on it once"

"WHAT" ace yells and jumps of the couch

"hahahaha" Mrs. Grunt laughs "almost 16 years ago and don't worry I washed the couch and changed the cover"

"you should've said that earlier" ace mutters as he sits back on the couch and gestures for asuna to come sit next to him.

"but honestly I never expected you to finally find a girl" Mrs. Grunt looks at the couple sitting on the couch. "and of all girls, you went after '_the dark demon_' asuna from the red haired pirates your enemy" she raised an eyebrow

"that was in the past" he puts his hand around asuna's shoulder and draws her near to him "and she's not a demon"

"you, kid what happened you are awfully quiet" Mrs. Grunt points to asuna "did your tongue get cut off or what" asuna was in deep thought and didn't hear what Mrs. Grunt said which turned against her "hey kid" Mrs. Grunt snarled a little louder "will you listen when someone is speaking to you Blondie" she snapped, and asuna jerked from her position

"y-yes" asuna stuttered as she looked around the living room

"little ace-boy why did you infect the kid with your stupidity" the older woman growled at ace

"we just started going out last night" ace exclaimed

"hey I'm not blonde you old hag" asuna snapped at the old woman once realizing what she had said "and do go picking on my ace"

"you've got guts and a big mouth Blondie, now I see how ace found a person similar to him, but you know what, you are in need of some manner lessons" Mrs. Grunt growls at asuna and cracks her knuckles, causing asuna to stand from the couch and go defensive. both woman have a glare off neither was willing to back down, ace swallowed at the deadly aura both women were giving off but he knew that asuna could easily kick Mrs. Grunt's ass.

"pffftt…..hahahaha" Mrs. Grunt starts laughing suddenly causing ace and asuna to tilt their head's to the side in confusion

"huh?" the couple ask dumbfounded in unison

"you pass the test" she says as she puts a hand on asuna's shoulder "I see how lucky ace is to have a person like you by his side"

"y-yeah" asuna stutters not knowing how to reply

"what test" ace asks trying to ease all the confusion

"I was seeing if this woman is worthy of your love, and seeing how she stood up to me means she is ready to give up everything for your sake" Mrs. Grunt smiles and tries to explain the 'test' to the couple, she then turns and cuts two slices of cake handing each one of them their own slice.

"now I see" asuna nods to herself as she takes her slice from the older woman, cutting into it and taking a small lump into her mouth, asuna's eyes glowed and shined from the sweet taste of strawberry and vanilla, along with damp feel of the cream on top "yummy~" she exclaims in a sing-song tone before swallowing her portion whole, causing an amused ace to stare at her.

"Mrs. Grunt is the best baker I ever met, that's why I got you here when you said you wanted to eat cake" he states. The golden haired woman turns to face her lover with her fork in her mouth and nods.

"of course my cake is the best, it's because I pour my soul into making it" Mrs. Grunt exclaims proudly as she gives asuna another slice "just don't choke on it"

"yes mam" asuna says as she eagerly grabs her refill

"okay I will go grab some milkshake for you two and will be back" the older woman stands up and heads towards the door, "just don't do something while I'm gone" she slams the door and heads to the kitchen. There was a moment of silence before asuna chose to break it and speak what was on her mind earlier.

"so you still hadn't lost _it_" she suddenly asks

"w-well I-I haven't found the right person yet" ace sheepishly replies

"that's hard to believe from a playboy"

"if I were going to I would do it with my girlfriend which by far is that I get dumped by the third date"

"seriously what was your longest relationship"

"2 weeks, it would've been longer if she hadn't walked away from me"

"why on earth would someone walk on you"

"I don't know one morning I woke up and she wasn't there next to me all she left was a letter on the pillow saying: _we are over_"

"you shared the same bed and yet you didn't have sex" asuna exclaimed

"that night I got her aroused and filled part of my lust but stopped because I wasn't sure if she was the one I wanted to do it with, sure she was good looking and all but I just couldn't do it" he confessed

"why not?" asuna asked in a serious tone, she was afraid that ace might do the same with her

"most guys take it as a child's game they play with the girl for the night then the next morning throw her away, the same with some women which happened to be my case, I didn't give her what she want so the next morning she leaves without a word just a letter" he paused for a while before continuing "even if I gave her what she wanted she would still leave"

"lets say she stayed and you tried again but still didn't do it why?"

"because for me it is a serious advancement in a relationship, and I guess that back then if I think about it my heart was yearning for you"

"good then one day, I will let you have my first and eventually all of them"

"whenever you will feel ready just tell me, I'm not going to force you into something you don't like"

asuna nodded and continued assaulting her cake slice, earning a chuckle from ace, who was now on his 2nd slice, after finishing her 3rd slice she turns around to face ace but she suddenly burst out laughing

"what" ace asks as he places his plate on the table.

"you've got a little cream over here" she points to the right of his upper lip, ace tried to lick it off but his tongue wont reach. "here let me do it" asuna sighs as she leans towards him and licks the cream of his face.

"thanks" he smirks, unknown to asuna ace's hand was dipped into some cream, he grabbed a lump in his index and middle, when she turned around to grab another slice, he put his hand on her mouth

"mmm" asuna gasps in surprise at her fiancé's actions, but nonetheless she took it and licked his fingers from the cake, he took his hand away and dipped it again before eating the lump himself.

"hey use a fork" asuna scolded before tending to her cake.

~plat~

asuna turned around to see her fiancé's face buried in the cake, and was asleep. She let out a deep sigh before removing his face and placing the plate on the table and grabbing a handkerchief, she changed her position so she was now sitting on the edge of the sofa and ace was lying on her lap.

"don't fall asleep on the cake" she spoke softly as she wiped away the cake from his face.

* * *

**A/N: i have no comment on to what i did in this chapter and i am just going to say the reason i did so will be explained in later chapters, sorry ace i didn't mean it, just happened**


	33. how ace & mrs grunt met

**A/N: i was busy with my IELTS exam and i can barely concentrate on anything, sorry i didnt update earlier but this is a make up for the previous chapter, hope it is good**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 31: how ace and Mrs. Grunt met**

Mrs. Grunt made her way back up to the couple were waiting for their milkshakes, trying to open the door handle by her elbow she heard a sigh and a chuckle from the other side, once the door opened she spotted a sleeping ace on asuna's lap and she was whipping what appears to be cake from his face.

"Did he fall asleep into the cake" Mrs. Grunt asked as she made her way to the table placing both milkshakes on it.

"It's a shame that such cake went to waste" asuna sighed, as she wiped some cream from ace's cheek

"It's not the first cake he fell asleep into"

"I see" asuna smiled at the look on her fiancé's sleeping face "this narcolepsy of his will be troublesome in the future"

"So what changed your mind 'bout little ace-boy, if I'm not mistaken you used to hate each other, did something happen" Mrs. Grunt asks as she takes out a cigarette and lights it up

"It's just that a few days ago I came to realize, I never hated him I was lying to myself, I didn't want to admit that I've fallen in love with the fool" asuna paused for a while "for so long I've been in love with him, I never wanted to accept the truth, he feels so close as if I've known him my entire life, yet he seems so distant, honestly I don't know where my sanity goes whenever I'm around him. He makes feel like I'm jumping down from the top of the red line for a dive into the ocean, that I can do anything by his side, I could have more freedom than anyone else, he makes me forget all my problems. And his mere touch washes my thoughts away, if I were angry he would calm me down, he will take me to a fantasy world. I no longer know what's right and what's wrong all I know is that I want to be with him for the rest of my life"

"You've got it bad, let's hope ace-boy doesn't have it worse than you"

"…" Asuna tilted her head trying to understand what Mrs. Grunt said

"I mean you are madly in love with him, that you want to spend every second of your life with him, that is a good thing but at the same time it may cause you big trouble, your enemies can easily use you to distract ace and the same way round, your love for him could cause you to do reckless and dangerous things. Also if ace has it the same way you do, he would jump in front of you and take a bullet, he will lay his life for your happiness"

"I see, I don't think it is that bad to be madly in love, sure I will get really jealous most of the time and same goes for ace" asuna paused and let out a sigh "but we will always have each other's backs and will protect each other"

"But like I said earlier getting hurt would give ace's enemies a chance to strike him" Mrs. Grunt interrupts

"My master once told me: _no matter how powerful you are there are things in this world you can't win against, but if there is power to defeat them then it would be the power of love_"

"I see it makes sense, so love makes a person stronger" Mrs. Grunt interpreted asuna's statement with the latter nodding "it's almost the same thing as what ace-boy said when we first met"

"Now that you mentioned it how did you and ace meet" asuna asks "I want the longer version, to kill time" asuna gestured to the sleeping figure on her lap, stroking his hair

"okay where should I begin, we first met three years ago"

* * *

**flashback**

"_hahahaha you should've seen the look on that man's face" some pirate mocked as he took another sip of sake_

"_his expression was irreplaceable" another roared with laughter, there were three of them sitting at the bar causing quite the commotion, a girl in her teens with long wavy brown hair approached the men holding their drinks._

"_here you go sir" she said as politely as possible and handed them their drinks, just as she was about to turn around one of the men grabbed her wrist "sir can you let go" the waitress said in a stern tone._

"_hey there why not join us" said the pirate and pulled her into his lap, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, the girl struggled to get free_

"_let me go" the girl hissed as she stumped on the mans leg, and breaking free in the process, the girl backed a few spaces away but was met by the wall_

"_that was a bad move little girl" the man growled as he stood up and slammed a bottle of sake near her head, the brown haired girl yelped in fear and closed her eyes. silently a teen with a yellow shirt and an orange cowboy hat with smileys watched the scene unfold in front of his eyes as he drank some of his beer. _

"_you filthy pirate go somewhere else" a small boy with the same hair color as the girl came, he stood in front of the girl_

"_yuuki get away you will get hurt" the girl ordered the little boy_

"_I'm not letting them get away with this, because I will be the one to protect you Lucy-nee-san" the little boy proudly stated_

"_so the kid decided to be a hero and protect his older sister" the pirate mocked, and his other two companions let out a crazy laugh, the man pissed glared at the boy "scram kid"_

"_NO" yuuki yelled and raised his arms up to his chest in a defensive mode_

"_you piss the hell out of me" the pirate grabbed yuuki from his head and threw him to some random people – one of them was the teen boy_

"_Lucy what is going up there" a voice asked from downstairs in the cake shop_

"_you better keep your mouth shut" the pirate warned_

"_n-nothing" Lucy stuttered, unknown to the people in the bar the owner of the voice was making it's way to the bar_

"_now that's a good girl" the pirate chuckled as he squashed the waitress to the wall and lessened the distance between their faces, Lucy closed her eyes tightly tears trickling down and turned her face to the right. The pirate leaned in closer but then suddenly he felt something hit his back hardly, angry the pirate turned around and yelled "who did that"_

"_you get your filthy hands of my daughter" a woman – Mrs. Grunt – barked at the pirate_

"_or what" the man grabbed Lucy's face and squeezed it, pulling her in front of her mother_

"_stop it already you people are making it to loud to drink" the teen said calmly with one hand behind his head and the other holding his beer mug, the teen boy was now sitting on a different table with his back to the pirate and his legs crossed on top of the table, his hat tilted downwards hiding his face and features._

"_this doesn't mean you so stay out of it" the pirate snapped at the teen and threw the girl towards him, the teen turned around and grabbed the girl just in time. Playing dirty the pirate used it as a decoy before attacking the teen boy, he easily avoided their blades, resulting to another dirty trick the pirates aimed for the girl._

"_you" the teen spoke in a menacing tone as he grabbed the pirate's hand, the teen lifted his hat clearly showing the angry look on his face, once having a good look at the teen's face the pirate gulped. "ruined my meal, so you will have to pay the price" the teen viscously spoke before transforming his free hand to flames and jamming his fist into his face sending the pirate flying through the walls and down to the street._

"_that's" one of the remaining two pirates spoke shaking and pointed his finger to the teen "fire fist ace"_

"_w-whitebeards second division commander" the other stuttered "r-run" and in mere seconds both pirates left the bar._

"_next time pick someone your own size" ace sighed and turned to face the bar owner and her two kids._

"_thank you for saving my daughter, how can I ever express my gratitude" Mrs. Grunt bowed her head_

"_thank you very much for saving me" the girl, Lucy bowed her head alongside her mother "and my little brother from getting harmed"_

"_n-no it's really okay" ace stuttered at this "they just interrupted my meal and they paid the price"_

"_you did this for your stomach" the little boy exclaimed as a sweat drop rolled down his head_

"_no, not entirely as a gentleman I cant let a woman be harassed specially young girls around the ages 15-19" ace replied bluntly_

"_how did you know I was around that age" the girl gasped_

"_I can tell what age range a person is for example this boy is around hmmm….. 10-13, and your mother is in her 40's"_

_BAMMM!_

_Ace's head met Mrs. Grunt's shoes, the old woman crossed her hands over her chest and stood in front of ace who was now on the floor rubbing the spot, the woman let out a growl. "don't get full of yourself kid, I'm not an old hag"_

"_I didn't say you are old mam" ace said politely_

"_what's your name kid" the woman smiled_

"_ace, Portgas D. Ace, nice to meet you ugh…." Ace extended his arm but trailed of at not knowing the woman's name_

"_call me Mrs. Grunt, this is my daughter Lucy she will be 16 in a couple of days" she pointed at the girl before pointing at the little boy "and this is my youngest son yuuki he is 12" the little boy nodded "so how old are you"_

"_17" ace smirked "and don't worry mam I will not hit on your daughter"_

"_and what makes you say that" Mrs. Grunt raises an eyebrow and puts a hand over her hip_

"_A. she is too young" ace said using a-matter-of-fact tone "B. I'm not interested in dating someone right now"_

"_aren't you young to be a pirate as well, and aren't you old enough to at least be interested in a girl" at the last statement ace blushed slightly but shook it off._

"_mam I said I'm not interested in dating someone right now, which is different from hitting on someone when I feel like it"_

"_so in other words you are still you never had sex with a girl before, even though you spent how many years on sea"_

"_actually I recently became a pirate, a few week after turning 17 I had set sail, and no I didn't have time to go flirting the whole time, and no I will not rape anyone for my own satisfaction"_

"_I like you kid"_

"_ummm…..mom can we change the awkward conversation" Lucy interrupted feeling slightly heated up and let out a sheepish laugh_

"_what is se-" Lucy covered yuuki's mouth before he could say anything else_

"_ohhh we forgot about the underage" ace stated as he looked at yuuki_

"_today is on the house people, lets forget this happened and return to our usual routine" Mrs. Grunt clapped her hands together and in a matter of seconds the few people sitting went back to drinking, Mrs. Grunt went back down to the cake shop, while Lucy along with ace cleaned up the mess in the bar, and yuuki went for a shower._

"_you don't have to" Lucy said and looked at ace "I can take care of it"_

"_no I want to, I've got nothing to do all day and I'm slightly bored" he lifted his head up from where he was picking up the shattered glass, for a second there eyes met and Lucy blushed a little_

"_I give up on you" she sighed and stood up dusting her apron, she headed to the living quarters. Ace sat back on his table and took a drink, after few minutes the boy yuuki had returned._

"_hey ace-san can you teach me some moves" he asked straightforward_

"_sure what move you want to learn" ace smiled at the boy, he knew the reason why yuuki wanted to learn self defense it was so he can protect his sister and mother._

"_anything that can make me strong enough to protect the family" the boy enthusiastically replied. And in the last three hours ace taught yuuki how to preform 3 techniques, one in each hour. The boy can easily preform a jab, he also learned how to preform an uppercut & hook but needs time to master it._

"_guess I will see you tomorrow and will teach you some new moves yuuki" ace ruffled the boy's head as he stood at the doorstep "and always remember that as long as you want to protect the ones you love you will become stronger" the boy smiled and nodded enthusiastically._

"_good luck at the games tomorrow ace-kun" Lucy smiled and blushed "and if you have any time come visit us"_

"_sure thing" he shrugged "it's getting late so I don't want to keep you guys from waiting so good night" he bowed_

"_good night to you too little ace-boy" Mrs. Grunt gave ace a warm smile, which caused the boy to blush given his new nickname_

"_bye" he quickly darted back to his hotel, both Lucy and Mrs. Grunt chuckled at the ace's reaction._

"_he is a weird and a nice one" Lucy sighed_

"_tell me about it, you never meet idiots like him everyday" Mrs. Grunt gave a one last glance to where ace headed of before closing the door._

**flashback end**

* * *

"and so he came everyday that year, then whenever the whitebeard pirates would come he would visit us every 2 days or so" Mrs. Grunt ended the story, asuna looked at her with a smile

"so he saved your daughter and son and taught your son how to fight" she took another sip of her milkshake to find it empty so decided to steal ace's drink

"he will get angry once he knows you ate his food" Mrs. Grunt states

"cant help it this is amazingly delicious" asuna gave an innocent pout which caused Mrs. Grunt to chuckle "and I can tell there is a pinch of alcohol in it"

"how did you know"

"my taste buds never lie when it comes to alcohol"

"he sure found himself a hell of a woman"

"what is that suppose to mean"

"you are strong, talented, beautiful, innocent looking at times, loving, caring, smart, spoiled, well mannered, you have a low temper, it's like you two are meant to be"

"how come spoiled and well mannered be together" asuna asked "and I don't have low temper, I get jealous quickly" she admitted

"this is my impression of you in the last hour or so, I would have to know you longer to give an exact description" the older woman sighed "I also don't have an exact description of who ace is even though I have known him for a while longer, I barely know his life except one thing his brother, he is just so open about his brother, all I hear from him is luffy this luffy that. He must love his brother a lot"

"ehhh ace and luffy are brothers" asuna exclaimed

"didn't I mention him to you" a third and familiar voice joined the conversation, he looked up from where his head was resting on with a pair of hands stroking his hair

"you finally awake" asuna asked ace as he tried to sit up straight

"when you mentioned luffy's name I woke up" he rubbed his eyes and frowned when he saw his cake squashed and the shake half empty.

"Oh that" asuna pointed at the cake and milkshake "you fell face first on the cake don't worry I cleaned your face, and the shake it's just so delicious I couldn't stop myself"

"Thanks, and it's alright don't feel guilty" he leaned and kissed her cheeks, asuna slightly blushed due to the audience in the room

"You gotta tell me about luffy, shanks stories about him aren't enough, in fact even your stories wont be enough I want to meet him in person"

"Anything for you"

"Being all lovey-dovey never did I imagine the day where little ace-boy would act like this" Mrs. Grunt chuckled; ace blushed at her comment and looked to the other side.

"Sh-shut up" ace stammered as his cheeks heated up

"MOOOOMMM" a voice rang through the building, it came from the bar and belonged to a girl. Immediately asuna guessed that the owner of this voice had to be Mrs. Grunt's daughter Lucy, with that the older woman dismissed herself to see what her daughter wants.

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**A/N: so we have several new oc's and yes shanks didnt tell asuna that ace and luffy are brothers, he just told her that he has a brother and that's it.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: the name is lucy**

**lucy and asuna meet for the first time but something is plotted behind the scene, what could happen to thier new friendship?**


	34. the name is lucy

**A/N: i know i said i am going to update more frequently but i was currently busy with preparing for graduation, specially the last two day so i am sorry if you are ****disappointed with me and my weird chapters.****  
**

**I also want to thank mr/mrs. guest for their review, i think you know who you are believe me it will get even weirder, there are a thousand idea's going in my mind but i don't know how to type them so most times it doesn't turn out how i want to be but at least i am improving by each chapter**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 32: the name is Lucy**

"_MOOOOMMM" a voice rang through the building, it came from the bar and belonged to a girl. Immediately asuna guessed that the owner of this voice had to be Mrs. Grunt's daughter Lucy, with that the older woman dismissed herself to see what her daughter wants._

"So you saved her daughter and son from a group of thugs" asuna asked ace

"Yeah that's pretty much it, those thugs interrupted my meal" he replied

"So now you are a hero for those three" asuna chuckled, and ace followed

"I never intended it to be that way but hey look free cake and shake besides they really are nice people you'll like them, they have this charm that makes you attracted to them and want to spend most of your time here" he picks up his milkshake up in the air as if giving a toast "cheers"

"Cheers" asuna smiled and grabbed her empty cup and clinked her cup against his. She placed the cup back on the table while ace took a sip of his drink, and wandered off in her thoughts though unknown to her she wore a troubled expression

"Hey is something wrong" ace puts his shake back on the table and cups asuna's face in his hands

"I'm perfectly fine" she holds his hands and caresses them

"You're lying" ace raised an eyebrow "I can tell when you are off"

"Honestly it seems I can't keep anything from you" asuna chuckled and pecked ace's lips

"We aren't meant to keep secrets from each other, now tell me what is bothering you" he said it in the softest voice possible

"I'm a little jealous that's it" she admitted as a blush tainted her cheeks, and immediately buried her face in the crook of his neck

"it's okay to be jealous it proves how much you love that person" ace wraps his arms around asuna into an embrace "but what are you jealous of"

"promise you wont laugh" asuna lifts her face to see ace directly in the eye

"promise" he kisses her lightly but passionately

"I'm kinda jealous that you spend some time with Mrs. Grunt and her family they know more about you than I do, I don't like the way you described them and I am mostly slightly mad at the fact that you had a girl in bed next to you" asuna bit her lip at how pathetic she just sounded

"first off nothing happened between me and that girl we didn't continue all the way, secondly I view them as friends nothing more and what is it that you don't like by the way I described them" ace scowled

"I mean you said they are charming and that you would prefer to spend your time here"

"the first time you meet them yeah but then you get bored, and I said they as a family and no I wouldn't prefer to spend my time here, is there anything else?" ace was pissed at how hard asuna was after all he cant blame her, what happened in her previous relationship made her hard and unable to trust anyone or love at all

"you will not breakup with me if Lucy talked you out of our relationship will you?"

"Lucy has no right to interfere with our relationship, and what makes you say she will not approve"

"I kinda overheard Lucy and Mrs. Grunt talking, and Lucy was like: _what do you mean by girlfriend?_"

"you eavesdropped" ace raises and eyebrow

"it's not like I mean it, you know I have sensitive hearing"

"speaking of sensitive hearing, you didn't happen to hear what Claus and I were talking about yesterday when you were changing"

"I'd be lying if I said I can hear everything" she paused "ever since that incident my hearing would be off, you see when I am thinking or daydreaming I would shut myself from the world and I wont hear a thing"

"I see" ace let out a breath he didn't know was there

"why what were you two talking about?" asuna was now the person to be serious, she crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow "we aren't suppose to keep secrets"

"you see… well…Claus asked me" ace was fiddling with his hand making some weird gestures "if…I liked you and I-I"

"don't tell me you told him yes" asuna raised her hand to cover her eyes

"I denied the truth" he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly

"thank god I though I was going to have to put up with it" asuna sighed

"what if word came out to the crew, I can already see the worst case scenario"

"Lucy is on the way" asuna lazily stated out of nowhere

'_please don't turn out into a mess_' ace secretly prayed, asuna shifted so she was sitting next to ace rather than in front of him, she looked him in the eye, he in return smiled and kissed her cheek lightly before moving to her lips.

"ace-kun" Lucy yelled as she slammed the door open and saw both asuna and ace kissing, her cheeks flared up as the couple moved apart and rubbed the back of their necks sheepishly as a small blush crept across their cheeks.

"sorry I didn't mean to barge in" Lucy apologized

"no it's okay I take it you are Lucy" asuna stood up and extended her arm "I'm asuna nice to meet you" she smiled as if she wasn't sad of what she and ace were talking about earlier, she was also slightly glad it didn't turn to their first lovers quarrel

"that's right nice to meet you too, and I see you are the woman my mother told me about" Lucy shook asuna's hand, both girls took a seat with Lucy sitting at some chair opposite of the sofa where the couple were sitting, ace had his arm around asuna trying to pull her to a sort of hug while he was leaning backwards on the couch. The three sat in an awkward silence that raised tension between them

"ace-kun I thought you were dating that green haired woman from the red haired pirates" Lucy asked to break the awkward silence

"not in a million years" he replied coldly

"but she kissed your cheek, and hugged you and you two seemed to spend lot of time together even you went to the ball last night together it was clearly that you guys were dating"

"she was over obsessive and wouldn't leave me alone, can we drop the subject Lucy I cant stand it"

"it's not my fault it's like the talk of the island"

"and what is the talk of the island exactly" asuna asked with serious in her tone, she changed her position so she was resting her elbows on her legs, and cupped her face showing some interest in the subject

"that fire fist face is dating nel from the red haired pirates and that he will finally defeat _the dark demon _asuna in a fight that's pretty much it, also there are some rumors that asuna will receive her end of the line soon"

"what do you mean" asuna muttered slightly shocked of what she just heard

"last night down at the bar there were some guys speaking and they said that they heard someone saying that there are a group of people planning on a killing several pirates but the only name they got was _Heart D. Asuna _and when I asked about it another group confirmed that they heard the same"

"you sure your information is reliable Lucy" ace almost yelled at her, he was now angry why would Lucy try to bad talk asuna in front of him and why is she telling them all this stuff

"that's what I heard nothing else I don't know who she had made enemies of but they want her dead" she yelled back

"from who did you hear that"

"ACEEEE" asuna yelled as she stood up and clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles went white, she turned around and faced Lucy with a death glare "you're lying, I heard your heartbeat and it sped up in that second, just say what you want" the room was engulfed with a guilty silence

"Lucy what are you hiding" ace growled at her

"nothing" she defended tears threatening to fall never did ace raise his voice or was this much angry at her

"liar" asuna muttered her lowering her head so her fringe was covering her face

"Lucy you better tell the truth" ace stood up and tried to hold his anger from attacking Lucy

"she told me" Lucy began to cry "that if help her" it was hard for Lucy to talk as the tears were pouring heavily "kill asuna from the red haired pirates" she lifted her hand and wiped the tears out of her eyes "I can have you that's what she promised"

"who said that" ace barked at her

"nel" asuna spoke in a low tone "aren't I right"

Lucy nodded as tears began to fall again "last night she was drunk when I found her in some alley I got her inside and after washing her up she told me her full story, today in the morning when she woke up she said she is indebt to me and so asked me if I love someone and I told her that I like you and then she said that she will help me win your heart as long as I help her kill asuna"

"she's upstairs" asuna looked at the ceiling with wide eyes and grabbed her shades and hat "I have to go before she comes down, she already knows we are here"

"just my luck" ace growled as he picked up his hat "tell your mum that we enjoyed the cake and thank you"

"I'm sorry I didn't think it would be like this" Lucy apologized as tears began falling once again

"it's alright it's not your fault" asuna smiled as she placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder comforting her "I've known nel for a long time and that's how she is, she tricks people into helping her do her dirty work. Lucy I forgive you after all you didn't know that ace and I are dating, see you around some time and the next time we will be friends okay"

"you're not angry at all" Lucy looked at asuna with puffy red eyes

"no" asuna shook her head "this isn't something I should be angry at you never meant harm"

"asuna I think we should hurry" ace pointed at the door

"see you later" asuna smiled at Lucy and stood up and hurried towards the door. She took a few steps before here eyes widened in shock for some reason and fell to her knees, she clasped her left hand over her mouth while her other acted as a support from falling completely and coughed hardly into her hands, her eyes failing to stay open as she coughed harder again.

"asuna" ace yelled as he ran towards her "what's wrong"

"apricots" she croaked hoarsely as she removed her hands to see her palm covered in her own blood

"apricots" ace asked confused by what asuna meant, he kneeled down and placed a hand on her shoulder

"don't tell me you're allergic to apricots" Lucy asked in horror. Asuna nodded her head again before coughing again but this time she lost all strength to keep herself up and collapsed into ace's arms blood dripping from her mouth.

"but she didn't have any apricot today" ace looked at Lucy demanding an explanation as he changed his position so that she was half sitting up right in ace's arm while the other arm was holding her hand on her waist.

"nel told me to make today's special apricot, there was an amount in the cake as well as the milkshake, she also told me to make it unnoticeable, I don't think asuna could've notice that she ate a large portion of apricots"

"shit" ace cursed as he lifted asuna bridal style and jumped from the window to the street landing safely, asuna coughed again and buried her face into ace's shirt no longer having the energy move or speak at all, her breathing became heavy and started to sweat as her temperature increased. Wasting no time ace jumped over the rooftops to find any hospital or clinic as quickly as possible.

"what happened to all the hospitals?" he muttered as he landed on another rooftop, he scanned the area before continuing running. Asuna coughed hardly once again and more blood splattered on his shirt, her breathing got even much more heavier and she started to turn pale "fuck" ace cursed as he saw asuna's corpse like body in between his arms, he sprinted faster until he spotted two well known figures

"Marco" he yelled as he jumped down, the said person lifted his head up towards where the noise came and spotted ace jumping down to him with a person cradled in his arms

"yo ace where did you go off to –yoi" he smiled at his friend seemingly forgetting the person in ace's arms

"now isn't the time for it Marco" he barked at him panic evident in his tone "elisa-chan please help asuna, I don't think she can last any longer"

"asuna?" both Marco and Elisa asked in unison wandering what ace is talking about

"don't stand there do something" he yelled snapping the two into reality, they look at the person ace was carrying only to realize that it was asuna, both of them widen their eyes in shock as how did asuna get reduced to such state where as she was perfectly healthy the night before

"bring her back to the ship now" Elisa ordered as she pulled them to the port "what exactly happened, she looks like a corpse and what were you two doing together"

"we went for brunch to Mrs. Grunt's bakery, as special guests we went to her living room and she brought us a cake and milkshake, apparently nel was scheming something as she told Lucy to fill today's food with apricots and make them unnoticeable"

"how on earth did nel know about Mrs. Grunt I mean only the whitebeard pirates are close to that family thanks to you ace" Marco stated as he ran next to him "and what does apricots have to do with the situation"

"the cake and milkshake had apricots in it and asuna ate 3 servings of cake, and she drank all of her milkshake and half of mine"

"she's allergic to apricot right"

"yeah that's what I figured out, her reaction was late she collapsed after 30 minutes from eating them, and I found you guys after 15 minutes of searching, meaning she had eaten apricots almost 45 minutes ago"

"you're saying in mere 15 minutes she was reduced to this state" Elisa asked as they were almost at the docks

"but ace –yoi" Marco looked at asuna's collapsed figure thoughts swirling in his mind "how did nel know Lucy, and if nel asked her to put apricots in the food it would mean that by coincidence that you two went there and asuna got poisoned earlier than what nel had planned"

"eh?" both ace and Elisa look at Marco trying to understand what he meant

"I mean it seems like nel knew asuna was allergic to apricots and from her reaction yesterday it is only right to conclude that nel was going to give asuna some of the cake and while she is unable to move she will finish her off, its pure logic"

"now that you mention it, Lucy did say that if she helped nel kill asuna she will get a reward and Lucy being Lucy couldn't decline the offer"

"I see but you still didn't answer my question, what were you two doing eating brunch together" Elisa asked wondering what had exactly happened at the bakery

"now isn't the time for it, just get aboard the ship and into the infirmary" ace ordered as they reached the Moby dick, both Marco and Elisa lift their heads up to notice that they had arrived, both were deep in thought to notice that they have arrived.

"hold on tight" Marco said as he transformed to his human hybrid form grabbing both ace and Elisa from his phoenix claws and flies up to the deck in a mere second.

"good afternoon marco-taichō, ace-taichō, Elisa-san" a crewmember greeted as he swept the deck

"you too" Marco greeted back as both Elisa and ace went to the sick bay, he immediately followed the two into the bay and watched as ace laid asuna on the bed, she was in no state to move anytime soon, her skin was pale and there were blood stains on her shirt and around her mouth, her breathing was unbelievably heavy and dry, he watched as her chest rose upwards and downwards quickly, sweat dripping from her forehead, neck and back as her temperature increased to what seems above normal, her body shivered abnormally to every touch.

"okay get out I need to get working" Elisa came in the room from the other door with her nursing outfit and some utensils in a emesis basin such as gloves, face mask, syringes, scalpel, trocars and other items. A few other nurses carrying other utensils in their basins followed her

"what" both ace and Marco exclaim in unison as both wanted to stay by her side

"this is extreme, if you guys don't leave I will have to use force, I might result to a surgery" she glared

"blood pressure at 70/ 52 and heart rate at 65 bpm" a nurse exclaimed as she hocked asuna with an ECG monitor and sphygmometer. ace and Marco's eyes widen at how low the numbers were

"blood sample taken for analysis" another stated

"that's really low" Marco muttered "do something about it elisa-chan –yoi"

"get out now" Elisa snarled, both ace and Marco nodded in silence still in shock of what they heard "someone attach an oxygen mask now, and hurry up with the blood analysis we need to know what type of blood fast"

"her blood type is the same as ace's, he gave her some blood a few days ago" Marco stated, Elisa pushed both men out of the door and looked at ace wanting to know his blood type as he rarely visited the sick bay

"XF {RH+}" he answers her

"good now someone has to inform shanks" she stated as she slammed the door shut leaving them gawking at the door, they heard Elisa scream and shout orders at the nurses. '_please be safe and don't you dare hit the bucket_' ace prayed as he watched the door with eyes gleaming of hope and faith.

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**A/N: i feel like i made the plot in this chapter move quickly but i also think that there isn't much use of the character Lucy other than the use of poisoning asuna, and yes i know i am being a complete ass for having her be in a death like situation again but i am doing it so she can open up more to ace. speaking of which the numbers for heart beat and blood pressure may not be accurate i searched the internet for values and thats the closest i came to so just keep in mind that they are really low.**


	35. between life & death - ace and marco

**A/N: i'm back...i finally graduated from school yesterday at monday 17 evening my time zone. i was extremely busy last week with preparations and things like that so i barely had time to do anything, my shoulder is killing me. so i woke up this morning late and thought i will clean up my hardrive get last night's photo's and then i proof read this chapter and now i am posting it. hope you enjoy my graduation gift to you**

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**Chapter 33: between life and death – Ace & Marco**

**Ace's POV**

I stood there just watching as Elisa slammed the door telling us to inform Shanks, I can hear her screaming and shouting orders at the other nurses, I'm still in a state of shock from the numbers I heard, I may not be a doctor but I know that those numbers are really low they are low to the extent that a person is going to die. What was I going to tell Shanks if she died, _oh hey Shanks your daughter is dead, go pick her up from the sick bay back at the ship_; he is going to skin me alive obviously

"Calm down Ace" Marco ordered seeing as how I was pacing all over the hallway in front of the door

"How can I calm down are you deaf or what her heartbeat is really low how can I calm down" I practically yelled at him

"Listen Ace" he placed his hands on my shoulder firmly and looked at me in the eye "you worrying and pacing around like this isn't going to do anything Elisa-chan is trying her hardest, so I suggest we sit down get something to eat and see things through, what exactly happened?"

"I don't know what exactly happened, we were talking then the next thing we were going to leave and a second later she collapsed" I replied "what am I suppose to do, what if something happens to her"

"Ace" Marco sighed as he dragged me towards the wall and pushed me to sit on the floor "now sit"

"I'm not a dog you know" I mumbled as I sat on the floor, I dragged my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly burying my face in my knees, I didn't bother to lift my head up to see Marco sitting next to me, I was too busy focusing on calming down he was right panicking isn't going to solve anything, I have to be patient

"I know" he spoke

"Know what" I asked with a hint of anger in my voice

"That you're in love with Asuna –yoi"

"What" I jerked my head upwards and looked at him with wide eyes, how did he figure that out was it because I was worried or that we were out together, whatever it was it sure gave a good giveaway.

"Last night I saw you two together" he said casually

"what do you mean" I pretended to not know what he is talking about with a shrug and rested my chin on my forearm

"you think that you two are the only ones who snuck out" I looked at him from the corner of my eye wanting to know what he exactly saw "Elisa-chan and I snuck out as well, we went to the clock tower, you know the one at the corner of the town near the pier with the huge clock"

"yeah what about it" I asked trying to show no concern in my tone

"you know there are telescopes laid out through the tower, I took her to the top floor to see the comet, I gotta say you two had the perfect place to see it wish I thought of it but then again I guess it will ruin your fun"

"huh?" I faced him now eagerly wanting to know what he saw exactly

"Elisa-chan looked through one of the telescopes and saw you guys together, she told me that Asuna is sitting on Ace's lap and I was like there is no way, we argued for a while and I never believed her" he paused and took a deep breathe put his hand in the pocket of his jacket searching for something "when the comet passed she looked at the telescope again and screamed: _MARCO LOOK AT THIS NOW_"

"why" I asked trying to hide my embarrassment of what I think they probably saw, I remember every single detail of what happened last night, it was on of my best moments in life.

"stop playing dumb Ace, I never knew you were this romantic making out under a comet" he raised his eyebrow as he pulled a picture from his pocket and handing it to you "a reporter took this photo, you should be grateful we beat him to pulp and took this photo, precisely the camera from him"

"what the" I looked at the photo in surprise, it was a picture of me and Asuna standing on the mountain edge the comet flying over us, our lips were intertwined in a heated kiss, it was clear that it was us two kissing, how did he the reporter get such shot was the question but I have to admit it looked great and I feel lucky to have it.

"there are more" Marco stated in a provoking tone, I looked at him and raised my eyebrow "but we still need to wait for them to dry, there is even a close up if you are interested –yoi"

"Marco I am going to kill you now" I snapped and jumped at him, we started brawling and rolling on the floor punching each other and yelling some cuss words.

"would you two cut it off" Elisa barged out of the door and yelled at us while throwing some scalpels

"sorry" we both replied in unison as I got off Marco and released my grip on the collar of his jacket, and he released his grip on my shirt

"just keep it down" she sighed and massaged her temples "it's hard to work with all the noise you are making"

"so how is she doing" I asked dusting myself from the dirt of our little brawl earlier

"we made a little progress but the protein from the apricot is already active in her system which caused this reaction, it has to do with her blood rejecting the proteins and fibers"

"then get it out of her system" I stated more like ordered

"purifying her blood is not that simple Ace, and we are already on it, but what's important are the symptoms by far she isn't going to speak anytime soon"

I was about to say something but Marco put a hand on my shoulder and shook his head, I knew that now I should stop talking and let Elisa do her job but I can't help but keep worrying, I sighed before turning around and sitting in the same corner at the same position.

"did you guys inform Shanks" she asked, I looked at Marco as he looked at me before turning to Elisa and shaking our heads

"we were still planning to"

"just hurry I don't want things to turn bad and if possible I need their ships doctor as well" she said before giving us a deathly glare "and don't make anymore noise understood"

"yes mam" both Marco and I bowed in fear of her deathly aura, Elisa-chan wasn't someone you want to mess with when angry

"good now do what I said" with that she slammed the door and went back to the sick bay

"so who is going to go call Shanks" Marco asks as he straightens his jacket

"you go" I growled and returned back to my seat next to the wall and into the same position, this time I completely buried my head in between my knees

"look I'm sorry man, but I have to say you two make a good couple" he smiled and tried to make some distance between us

"that exactly why I didn't want you guys to know"

"exactly why you didn't want us to know?" Marco asked by repeating my sentence

"you guys will make fun of me, it was the same with the other girls"

"we were just joking, we didn't think you would take it personally"

"I don't at least didn't with the other girls but Asuna she is different"

"this would make a great love story, forbidden love" he teased

"Marco" I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist tightly, I had to control my anger from snapping at him once again

"you know I realized that the necklace you bought yesterday was for her when we went to pick Nel and Asuna up"

"and you will be kind enough to tell me how" I replied sarcastically lifting me head up so it was resting on my forearm

"my suspicions were proven right, that _important_ person you got that necklace to was Asuna after all, also you were speaking about her most of the time anyone could notice you have a thing for her" he emphasized the word 'important'

"this happened to her because she loved me"

"you're not Ace and don't go blaming yourself"

"even though I'm a worthless good for nothing scum bag she−"

"if you are a worthless good for nothing scum bag would she love you, would you be standing here" he cut me off

"I don't deserve her Marco, she doesn't deserve this, she did nothing wrong"

"can I tell you something Ace" his tone changed from lazy to serious and somehow he was now seated next to me

"go ahead" I sighed

"I've realized something, maybe because I am one of your best friends and I know you too well, I don't know but I noticed something in you the past few days" he started

"what"

"you seem to be happier"

"so what about it cant I be happy"

"I mean ever since you were spending time with her your smile would never leave your face. Also you never got a thing for the other girls you dated not even a rose, but you got Asuna a necklace a diamond necklace at that"

"what are you saying"

"I've known you for almost 3 years Ace and you never showed that much interest in a woman" he placed a and on my shoulder

"I'm 20 Marco, this is the age when I am mostly interested in women"

"stop lying to yourself Ace, Asuna has a special place in your heart just admit it"

"you're right she is special there is no one in the entire world that can replace her" I admitted

"that's my friend now" he sighed and stood up from where he was sitting "I better send someone inform Shanks"

"I'm dead" I muttered as I Marco mentioned Shanks, I still didn't know how to explain it to him and I yet have to imagine the worst case scenario by far I was able to conclude that there would be a sword at my throat.

"why is that" Marco chuckled

"who were you planning on sending" I asked changing the subject after all Asuna and Shanks wouldn't want anyone knowing of their relationship.

"I was hoping on sending Sora if I find him, why?"

"I will go talk to him" I stood up and hurried to where I he would be. I ran up to the deck and towards the door leading down to the galley after all the Moby dick is large and confusing, at my first few weeks I would usually get lost but later on I learned the routes and which room is where as well as finding some shortcuts and ideal hiding places.

"Sora" I yelled at him, he was around 16 and was of average height with dark brown hair and black eyes, his skin was between fair and tanned. Sora sported navy blue cargo shorts with a light blue slash tied around the waist and a light blue open front shirt.

"taichō" he greeted back as he came towards me

"I want you to go do something important" I told him bearing a serious tone

"sure thing taichō" he smiled

"I need you go to the red haired pirates hotel, and get Shanks or Benn here as well as their ships doctor"

"okay but I don't know where the hotel is" he said as a frown adorned his face "is there something wrong Ace-taichō"

"yeah sorta, Asuna is a bit sick and Elisa-chan says she need their doctor as well as we need to inform Shanks of the situation" I explained as I wrote the hotel address on a paper and handed it to him

"what Asuna-chan is sick" he exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock and concern

"but she will be alright, and what's with that attitude" I placed my hand on his shoulder and reassured him, mostly I was trying to tell myself that

"nothing, nothing at all" he stuttered

"Sora are you hiding something from your commander" I questioned as I raised an eyebrow

"well I hate to break it to you taichō but most of us in the crew are cheering for Asuna-chan after all she is pretty and strong, even oyaji and Marco-taichō thinks that but we kept it hidden from you because you seem to hate her" he swallowed

"well now go inform Shanks" I patted his shoulder and left, clenching my fists tightly I made my way back to where Marco was waiting by the sick bay, it's hard to take the fact that most of the crew members have a crush on Asuna, even Marco and whitebeard thought she is beautiful and strong.

"so did you send him" Marco asks once I arrived at where he is

"yup, and I also discovered something" I replied and leaned at the wall with my hands folded over my chest and my legs crossed, I lowered my head slightly so my bangs are covering my eyes

"what is it?"

"most of the crew has a crush on Asuna" I sighed

"guess it's out of the bag"

"huh" I lifted my head and raised my eyebrow demanding an explanation

"how do I put it into words that will not make you angry" he rubbed the back of his head trying to think of a way

"just say it, I'm not going to get any angrier"

"it started when her bounty came out and everyone was like wow she is pretty and strong, then after you joined us well when we kidnapped you and were talking about this new member joining the red haired pirates and we stated her name you bad mouthed her and left"

"yeah I remember that, those days were the worst of my life I cant believe I was such a kid" I chuckled

"that's when we decided that when we speak about her we should watch out if you were in the room"

"guess you did right at the time"

"will you let me continue or not" he replied lazily

"go ahead" I waved my hand signaling him to continue

"okay then when we met her at the games, I've gotta say she was a….." he trailed of thinking of a right word

"charmer, heart stealer, an angel"

"yeah that" he hesitated for a second but continued normally "and so many of the crew fell for her, but then when you are around she is a different person that's why the crew prefer that you two are not in the same room"

"and they feared if I know that I would get angry" I sighed

"exactly, but I wonder how will they react once they found out you two are dating"

"they don't need to know" I stated

"that's right you will leave after the games" he frowned remembering that I am going to leave for a dangerous mission

"kill Blackbeard and come back and marry her" I told him my plan and looked at the floor

"oi Ace are you serious, you know what marriage is" he widened his eyes in shock and disbelief

"yeah and we are already engaged it's just when I come back we will have our wedding and move on with life" I smiled

"and when the hell did that happen" for some reason it seemed that he felt like a stupid person and sorry for being lazy

"yesterday" I replied as if it was a normal conversation

"you Ace, I had enough of your bullshit, doing stuff without telling me, going and proposing to a girl just like that, honestly do you have a idea of what others might think or feel" he muttered with a hint of frustration in his tone

"you jealous?" I chuckled and raised an eyebrow

"not really but others would be, they already bit their nails when Nel kissed your cheeks"

"well I didn't ask for it and I hate her after what she did, I'm not sure I can manage my anger when I see her"

"neither would I"

"WHATT" I heard Elisa scream from within the room, both me and Marco rushed towards the door and I banged on it hardly, I could hear Elisa saying something and cursing but I couldn't know what it was exactly only that she is currently having a hard time.


	36. Between life & death - Elisa's struggle

**Chapter 34: between life and death – Elisa's struggle**

**Elisa's POV**

"WHAT" I yelled at hearing the test results, I grabbed the result paper from the nurse holding it and started reading it, after a minute or two I stopped reading and started swearing randomly. Suddenly out of nowhere the door started banging, I was sure it was Ace and Marco but how am I going to explain the situation, this is something severe Asuna may not recover for the rest of her life.

"Shishō look" my apprentice gasped as she analyzed a blood sample

"What is it Mari" I asked as I approached the table she was working on

"I got some apricot extract and poured one drop to her blood, and look at what happened" she pointed to the petri dish under the microscope, from the outside I could notice that the blood is darker in color.

"What was the color of her blood before you poured the extract?" I asked her as I looked into the microscope to see the blood cells

"It was a slightly brighter color, the more I add the darker it gets and the faster the color spreads" she stated

"the test results showed high acid levels, it's possible that the apricot vitamins increase the acid levels in her system causing the change of color in the blood"

"that's not all of it shishō" she stated

"what" I looked at her as my curiosity was taking the best of me, what on earth is going inside that girl's body. Unfortunately the loud banging on the door didn't help either, it just kept getting louder and wouldn't stop, so I decided to stop the two idiots interrupting me, I grabbed a few scalpels and two sedative injections before heading towards the door.

I creaked the door open and spotted a worried Ace in front of the door, never have I seen him like that not since thatch's death. I loosened my grip on the scalpels and made my out of the room closing the door behind me, it was going to be a long day to explain the situation we are in. I leaned on the door with my hands behind me and looked at the floor trying to think of a way to not make them panic

"what happened elisa-chan" Ace asked with concern in his voice and some fear as well

"I just received the test results and my discipline found something" I replied and released a deep breath

"is she going to…." He trailed off as fear and sadness crept up his eye, how could I not forget what I saw last night he loves her.

"no Ace she isn't going to die, not on my watch, it's just that even though she may live I'm afraid she is going to suffer some disability" I swallowed after explaining part of my worries

"what do you mean disability" Marco asked adorning a worried expression, I looked at my lover with pained eyes

"earlier I said she might not speak soon, but that soon maybe never"

"I still don't get it" he said

"what do you been by never" Ace muttered in a low hurt tone

"her blood has high acid levels, when she coughed up the blood the acid probably burned her lungs and esophagus, if we don't get the acid out of her blood other organs will get effected as well, by far all of her digestive organs are effected as well"

"why did you lie" Ace muttered but this time his tone was of anger, he grabbed my shoulders and shook me "why? Why?"

"I didn't lie Ace" I stated as I looked directly into his eye, my eyes widened his eyes were watery as if he is going to cry any minute, deciding that Ace can't take anymore of this I grabbed the sedative and injected it in his arm.

"what was that for" he growled as he jerked his hand away and threw the two empty syringe "what did you inject me with"

"zolpidem it's best for your health" I stated as guilt rose up to my chest

"what" he asked drowsily, this proved that the sedative was acting up

"you need a good sleep" I muttered as his body fell to the ground after losing its balance then conscious

"you did a better job at calming him down than I did" Marco stated as he grabbed Ace's figure and flung him over his shoulder

"it was the only choice I don't think I can work well with him like this, or will he be able to handle the reality falling upon him" I lowered my tone, for some reason I felt guilty about what I did

"he panicked when you screamed, I tried my best to not make him burn the door down, what happened"

"I was just shocked, after reading the results I didn't know what to say, back then when we took the blood sample her survival rate was 65% and I'm not sure what is her rate now as far it may have gotten lower, even if she survived as I said earlier her lungs and air canals are damaged"

"she isn't sick is she" a voice interrupted from the side, the tone used was similar to the tone Ace was using: pain and anger. I turned around and saw Shanks standing with a pained expression behind him was Sora panting and some other man with a suitcase, I guessed he was their ships doctor

"she was poisoned" I shook my head and looked at the ground

"she should've noticed poisons after all her sense of smell is keen" Shanks tried to reason with me and prove me wrong or that I am lying

"I'm not talking about regular poisons" I bit my lip at how was I going to explain to him, it seemed that he cared a lot about her as he personally came and did not send Benn or any other crew member

"if you may can you explain more what are the symptoms and what exactly happened" the man asked "I'm the red haired pirates doctor"

"I don't know what happened exactly only that Ace came running with her almost corpse like body in his hands, he said that her cake had apricots hidden in it and she wants able to notice until after she collapsed"

"that's bad just how much was the portion of apricots" the doctor exclaimed

"I don't know, but the PH of her blood was at 5.2 more than an hour ago"

"a good thing I got the tools I use when treating her" stated "can I go inside"

"sure thing" I said as I turned and wanted to open the door but I turned around and looked at Marco "get Ace into his room and lock him there I don't want him coming down, I cant tell what he is going to do"

"roger that" he said and was about to leave only to be stopped but Shanks sheathed sword in front of him "what's the meaning of this akagami, and don't forget that you are at an enemies ship"

"what happened, I though I could trust Ace with my daughter's life" he growled

"I don't know what exactly happened but I got some clues of what happened and let me tell you this it wasn't his fault either" Marco glared at him and made his way past the sword before coming to a halt and turning around with wide eyes "daughter?"

"daughter" I exclaimed as I just registered what Shanks said, now I knew that me and Ace are in deep trouble if something happens to Asuna, we are now dealing with akagami Shanks not the pirate but the father

"if something happens to her I don't need to explain what is going to happen"

"nothing will happen rest assured" with that I made my way into the room and was followed by while Marco took Ace back to his room and was followed by Shanks who was seeking an explanation of what happened and why was Ace unconscious.

"who is that shishō" Mari asked as I came back into the room with

"this is the red haired pirated doctor his name is " I introduced

"I see you took fast actions" he stated as he saw Asuna hooked up to many machines, an oxygen mask and a injection transferring blood to her while another was removing some

"right now cleaning her system is what we can do, we need to purify her blood, you seem to know what is going on" I said as I grabbed the report and handed it to him "this report is of when she first came, the blood sample was taken more than an hour ago"

"so is there something serious in it" he asks as he grabbed the report and started reading it

"well it seems this isn't the first time it happened to her doctor" I state

"yeah it happened once and she was drunk when she ate a bite of the apricot and we learned about her allergy though it was a really small portion like a few drops of it's juice though it wasn't serious damage, I still don't quite understand the cause of the reaction" he explained

"well maybe if you look at this " Mari pointed at the microscope and petri dish "look at what happens to the blood when I add a drop of the juice"

he nodded and walked to the table and placed his suitcase beside it and walked towards the microscope, he looked into the microscope and studied the blood sample. I watched as he nodded to himself and made a '_hmm_' and '_aha_' sounds every few seconds, it seems as if he was discovering something soon after he lifted his head up and opened his suitcase

"is there something doctor" Mari asked

"I'm not only the ships doctor I am also responsible for the ship's harvest" he stated

"harvest?" both Mari and I asked in unison by what he means

"you know the red haired pirates grow our own fruits and I'm responsible for the plants"

"yeah but what does it have to do with this situation" I asked wanting more explanation

"the reaction is similar to what happens in some of the plants"

"huh" I asked now obviously confused by what the farmer/doctor means

"there is a type of bacteria in the plants called _pseudomonas Syringae_"

"and she is infected with that bacteria" I asked

"not exactly that bacteria produces toxin that causes the water in the body to freeze at high temperatures, also the toxin causes a type of acid to activate, another proof are the same test results: negative arginine dihydrolase and oxidase activity"

"so her reaction is similar to what happens in plants, her blood is getting clotted, the acid levels increase, so her body from the inside is freezing and getting burned at the same time, that would explain the shivering and fever"

"yes it's similar to the effects of high acid levels, fever, frozen blood"

"the main question how will we get it out of her blood" I asked as I cupped my chin and started thinking

"I was thinking probably inject her with the pesticide for " he stated

"you crazy this is a human being we are talking about injecting her with a pesticide could probably kill her" I exclaimed

"we could increase the alkaline levels in her blood" Mari stated, both and me turned around and looked at her, she swallowed and lowered her hand, which was raised.

"that's a good idea, we have to neutralize her blood" said

"Kristen, Ava, Laci get me some white blood from town and plasma for the blood type XF{RH+} NOW" I ordered

"yes mam" they replied and hurried out of the room, I turned around and walked to the medicine closet and grabbed a few drugs

"what are you planning on doing shishō" Mari asked

"now I see you will try and slow down her cell activity" stated as he saw the drugs I were holding

"yup until they get plasma and white blood cells, this is the best I can do"

"then you would need this" he said as he picked a box with different pills from inside

"what's this, I've never seen pills like those" Mari asked as she studied the shape and color of the pills

"those aren't ordinary pills, thanks to Asuna I could buy some pills only exclusive to magic users"

"cool magic pills" Mari exclaimed like a child seeing a beam for the first time in his life, with sparkly eyes "I've always been interested in magical things"

"but what are those pills" I asked ignoring Mari's enthusiasm

"well Asuna did buy me some regenerative pills, age-stopping pills, energy enhancers, nerve rebuilding pills and other sorts" he explained but two of them caught my attention

"what are age-stopping and nerve rebuilding pills" I asked curiously

"age-stopping pills work for 3 hours they stop the body cells from dividing but using them for a long time makes them useless" he started explaining "you can only buy them in small amounts, I only used them once to cure a tumor in one of the members and it was effective, however there is a limit as how much a person can take judging by the fact that they are made using magical herbs"

"so what are their units of measure" Mari asked

"well I had Asuna help me in decoding them so this one is almost 10 mg/pill which is the average intake for a adult"

"so what is the adult age in terms of magic" Mari interrupted once again

"an adult in magic is 17" he replied

"okay so we can use the age stopping pill but what about the other pills" I asked

"regenerative pills she should take them at least 24 hours after eating the age stopping pills, 2 tablets and that should be enough to speed up her already fast healing rate by 10 times"

"wait so a few days ago she took this regenerative pill to heal herself" Mari asked remembering what happened at the 4th day of the games when Asuna fell unconscious

"not really she just focused her energy in healing her body than recovering from the fatigue, that's why she spent most of the time sleeping"

"can you explain more" I asked now interested in this girls healing abilities

"it's part of her magic, high endurance and fast healing rates when she is hurt she can focus all her energy in healing her injuries or fatigue, two days ago she focused it on her injuries that's why yesterday she didn't come to the games, she was busy with recovering her strength"

"that can partly explain why she was slightly exhausted yesterday"

"and what about those nerve pills" Mari asked curiously eyeing the box full of pills

"nerve pills are mainly used to recover fatigue and other problems related to the nervous system, they heal the nerves and repair any damaged cells, each pill is about 50 mg but a person can only take 20mg of them in a week"

"they are really powerful right" Mari stated in her childish tone

"magic pills if they are taken in doses greater than the prescription even by ½ mg can be harmful for the body and at times could lead to death"

"a little to much and it could become a poison" I said with a concerned and worried tone, how am I to give my patient a medicine that could kill them moreover I don't know how to use the drug

"say" Mari spoke I turned to face her and so did "aren't we wasting time by all this chit chat, shouldn't we start treating Asuna-chan"

"crap" I cursed under my breathe, I was to drowned in this conversation and interested in those pills I completely forgot about Asuna, I sprinted towards a cupboard and grabbed a pill crusher, I walked towards and took one age-stopping pill, using all of my energy I crushed the pill into smithereens

"here you go a new bag of blood" Mari handed me a bag of blood, I opened the lid at the top and dropped the crushed drug inside the bag, I closed it and shook it lightly so the pills would blend with the blood, after doing that I walked towards Asuna and changed the bag of blood. Soon after 5 minutes of waiting her blood pressure increased slightly, now I knew that her cells stopped dividing and that the nutrients aren't doubling, now I have hope of curing her for 3 hours are going to be more than enough

* * *

**Shishō means master / teacher something like this**

**A/N: i used wikipedia to research any disease related to apricots and i chose one of them because there are many ****diseases, i tried to describe them as simply as possible believe me when it comes to bacteria's and micro-organisms naming them and describing their effects are way too difficult, so i tried my best to simplify it for you to understand. zolpidem is the name of a sleeping pill that is used to help people sleep at night**

**next chapter: between life and death - marco & shanks**

**preview:**

_**"marco what is going on I heard the brat's daughter is in the sick bay" whitebeard asked looking at shanks who is standing behind Marco - HOW DOES WHITEBEARD KNOW?**_

_**"whitebeard if my daughter doesn't survive don't go looking for someone to blame" shanks warned with a deadly glare - WHITEBEARD YOU ARE IN TROUBLE**_

_**"captain" a voice yelled from behind, all three turned their heads and saw nel running towards the waving her hand in the air "something terrible happened, asuna is"**_

_**"I managed to take a glimpse of what happened, it was their fault" she spoke trying to blame someone - YES THE BITCH IS BACK**_

_**"I couldn't care any less what happens to her" shanks said coldly - SHANKS: ANTI-NAKAMA, BUT WHO IS HE TALKING ABOUT?**_


	37. between life & death - marco and shanks

**A/N: this chapter has been done for a while but i didnt post it until i finished the next chapter so it's like i will post 36 when i finish the current chapter that i am ****writing. currently i write slowly as i try to organise the idea's in my head and trying to make the plot a bit thicker, and thinking of situations where asuna is going to be strong and not weak as i potray her to be but it is part of character development. i k****eep forgetting to put the disclaimer.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 35: between life and death – Marco & Shanks**

**Third person POV**

Shanks followed Marco while and Elisa went to treat Asuna, he demanded an explanation of why is his daughter poisoned and what was Ace doing when that happened, however what Shanks was worried about was the fact that he blurted the fact that Asuna was his daughter though their reactions were slow he was afraid they will tell the rest of the crew and that word is going to spread putting her in danger. Once they reached to the door leading to the deck Marco opened the door only to stop looking at a few crew members laying unconscious on the floor, he turned and faced Shanks with a deadly glare.

"what's the meaning of this akagami" he growled

"since it is an enemies ship I had to be cautious" Shanks replied casually

"you bastard be at least easy" Marco sighed and continued out of the hallway and into the door leading to the dorms, Shanks followed him quietly but cautiously. Once they reached the third corner along the long hallway they took a turn, the corner showed another hallway but with doors, each door had a number written on it.

"this is the commanders quarters" Marco sighed noticing Shanks tension and curiosity

"commanders have their own room" he asked scanning each door

"yup and relax no one is going to attack" Marco replied as he continued to the end of the hallway, Shanks noticed that the further you go the smaller the number gets. Upon reaching the door with number 4 Shanks stopped and stared at the door remembering the late 4th division commander thatch, Marco stopped and looked at Shanks studying the room.

"it was thatch's room" he spoke quietly remembering the time spent with his friend before teach killed him

"he was a great man" Shanks smiled as he gave the door one last look.

"he was one of the peoples favorite whitebeard commander" Marco smiled back and took one step forward. Suddenly the door next to thatch's opened and out of it emerged the 3rd division commander Jozu, he stood there starting at the three men in the corridor before looking at Shanks the to Marco with Ace over his shoulder.

"what is going on, why is akagami here" Jozu asked after taking a grasp of the situation

"it's alright Asuna is in the sick bay and he came to check up on here" Marco replied to his question

"what happened to Ace" Jozu pointed at the unconscious man on Marco's shoulder

"ah him, Elisa-chan gave him a sedative and asked me to lock him up in his room, speaking of which would you do me a favor" Marco smiled as he walked up to Ace's door

"what is it?"

"just watch over Ace, if he waked him up do whatever you can to keep him in his room and try as best as possible to avoid the sick bay" Marco lowered the handle and pushed the door open to see that even though his friend has been away for a while his room is still as messy as ever. He scooted over the dirty piles of clothes on the floor and made his way to Ace's bed, he sighed before placing Ace on the bed not to hard but not to gentle.

"o-okay" Jozu hesitated as he watched Marco

"be careful he might burn you, he's not in a good mood" Marco warned with a smile before leaving the room with Shanks behind him. Jozu nodded as he looked at the two men's retreating backs before closing the door and looking at Ace

"did I just agree to baby sitting Ace" he muttered to himself after noticing what he agreed on, Jozu sighed before looking at Ace's room he found a chair that had a few dirty clothes on it, he grabbed all of the dirty clothes in the room and pilled them up in the corner before taking a seat "will you take care of your room for once, it's a complete mess"

"let's go akagami" Marco said as he jumped to the of the ship to the island, Shanks nodded and followed him but using the stairs to descend from the ship, they walked for a while before they spotted whitebeard coming to their direction.

"Marco what is going on I heard the brat's daughter is in the sick bay" whitebeard asked looking at Shanks who is standing behind Marco

"you know about it to pops, it's hard to believe they look nothing alike except for the partying attitude" Marco asked back with a surprised tone

"gurararara I've known about it ever since she joined the red haired pirates, she has her mother's hair and eye, aren't I right" he eyed Shanks, having known that Shanks was married and actually met the girl.

"she also inherited part of her mother's attitude and personality" Shanks smiled

"she most defiantly got her mother's charm" whitebeard smiled remembering the woman when he first met her almost 20 years ago, though it was for a while he enjoyed her company

"pops I'm a bit worried about Ace" Marco stated with a worried expression, that expression caught whitebeards attention and curiosity

"why"

"you see he was almost in the same state when teach killed thatch" Marco curled his hand into a fist tightly and gritted his teeth

"what happened to make him like that"

"whitebeard if my daughter doesn't survive don't go looking for someone to blame" Shanks warned with a deadly glare

"Marco can you tell me what happened to the girl" whitebeard looked at the commander with curious eyes

"I was going somewhere quiet and private to explain what I managed to get from Ace" he said lazily

"why not back at the ship in the commanders lounge" whitebeard asked

"because akagami doesn't trust us and after using his haki I'm pretty sure things wont go good over there" Marco snarled

"you went to check on your daughter or show off your haki" whitebeard raised an eyebrow at Shanks

"I suggest we discuss this over barrels of healing water" Shanks replies

"brat" whitebeard said before he turned around and headed to town towards the bar they went to over the past couple of days. Every now and then a few people would mutter something looking at the trio.

"captain" a voice yelled from behind, all three turned their heads and saw nel running towards the waving her hand in the air "something terrible happened, Asuna is"

"I know" Shanks replied as nel came to halt and was panting heavily, Marco glared at the woman and clutched his fists tightly trying to hold in his anger, whitebeard who noticed Marco's reaction just looked at the commander.

"I managed to take a glimpse of what happened, it was their fault" she spoke trying to blame someone "Ace he-" before she could finish her sentence a fist collided with her face and sent her a few meters away into some building. Shanks and whitebeard looked in surprise at Marco who had just lost his cool and was fuming with anger.

"don't you dare lie to our faces, it was you who plotted it all you were planning to give Asuna the cake when you come back but it was a mere coincidence that they went to the bakery in the morning and you took advantage of the fact that Ace was with Asuna so you can blame him" Marco growled nothing but hatred and anger in his voice "treasure your nakama will you"

Shanks pulled out his sword out of it's sheath and pointed it at Marco with a cold deadly glare "I cannot forgive you for hurting one of my subordinates whatever the reason is" he growled

Whitebeard chose to sit out of it and watched in amusement as one of his commanders argued with Shanks but if things were to go a little further he will stop it then. The two exchanged glares neither backing off, it was as if time was frozen, after a while the ruble began to move and nel emerged with a few wounds, she growled at Marco as she made her way out of the broken wall and dusted herself.

"I wasn't going to say Ace did it, I was going to tell Shanks about a group who are after a few pirates, Asuna is one of them but things went wrong with the group and they tried to kill her, Ace he protected her" she rubbed her cheek where the fist impacted.

"…." Shanks knowing what slightly happened doubted her words, and judging from Marco's outburst knowing the man is always calm and is rarely seen angry gave Shanks the more reason to doubt her "and why didn't you come and tell me when it first happened, why did a member of whitebeard's crew came and informed me"

"well they almost caught me and I was in a pinch, then when I went back to the pent house you were not there, and I had to find a lead of your scent and it took me time to find you" she stated, unfortunately for her Shanks saw right through her lie

"…." Shanks sheathed his sword and turned around to face Marco, his expression was unreadable he bowed his head quietly and walked past them "I couldn't care any less what happens to her" Shanks said coldly and continued his way back to the hotel, that action surprised whitebeard greatly and fuelled Marco's rage even more

"you bastard" Marco gritted his teeth and glared daggers at Shanks, the latter just turned around and looked at him with painful eyes before walking away quietly, Marco who understood his look kept his mouth quiet and faced nel "sorry for punching you earlier" he managed to say without chocking

"it's okay maybe Ace saw me and I think it's a little miss understanding" she smiled, to anyone this smile was a friendly one but to those who know better such as Marco and whitebeard saw behind this smile and the true evil with it

"well I should get going" Marco says before he takes of to the same direction Shanks went to "I better go apologize to akagami for my rudeness"

"well see you later" nel waved to Marco and watched his retreating back, she turned and faced whitebeard who was looking at her blankly "what" she shrugged as she noticed his look and walked away

"you've got some nerve kid" he muttered before returning to Moby dick and checking up on Ace

"wait akagami" Marco yelled at Shanks who was waking up ahead and was almost at the hotel

"what do you want" he sighed and continued walking

"I want to say I'm sorry for getting angry at what you said about not caring for Asuna" Marco apologized

"no it's alright, your reaction was perfect" Shanks smiled at Marco before opening the door of the hotel

"you are a great actor yourself but why did you lie" Marco asked as they went up the stairs

"I noticed she was lying and then I knew you were telling the truth what proved me right was your outburst besides no one in the crew knows about this"

"now I see but aren't you going back"

"no I need to make her believe me, as much as I want to be by my daughters side I just can't"

"so what are you planning to do"

"you are going to take someone with you" Shanks stated simply as he opened the door to the penthouse, there he saw Yasopp, Lucky Roo and Benn trying to recover from what seems to be a hangover, all three eyes turn towards Shanks and Marco.

"captain what were you doing up early" Benn asks before looking at Marco "and what is he doing here"

"Asuna is poisoned right now she is at the Moby dick getting treated, Marco is here to tell me what happened and I'm going to give him something while one of you goes and checks up on her" Shanks explained

"wait poisoned how, and what she is doing in the Moby dick?" Benn asked panic evidence in his voice

"to make a long story short, nel gave her apricots and Asuna didn't notice it"

"she did what" all three men yelled in unison

"while you listen up for a while" Shanks glared at his men as Marco closed the door

"okay tell us what happened" Yasopp said as he took a seat with an ice bag on his head

"well for starters what is said in this room stays in this room" Shanks started and looked at the four men as they each nodded "Asuna went with Ace to restaurant" he looked at Marco for the details

"there is this bakery that our crew knows very well, they make amazing cake so Ace decided to take Asuna there, since we are on good terms with the owner they went up to the living room and were given a cake and milkshake"

"oi what is going on why are those together" Yasopp asked

"they are couple" Shanks stated completely forgetting his promise to his daughter of not telling, but he can't help it in this situation

"they are going to get married do you know that" Marco re-stated Shanks statement

"yeah last night he proposed to her"

"whattttt?" the three men not knowing what is going on yelled again in unison

"never mind them Marco continue" Shanks ordered, a sweat drop rolled down Marco's head as he saw Shanks attitude

"o-okay where was I so yeah then the owners daughter came and told them that nel has told her to put apricots as today's flavor and make them unnoticeable and in return she will be given a reward. So Lucy being Lucy couldn't decline the offer, they then were about to leave but Asuna then collapsed, he immediately left and searched for a doctor that's when he encountered me and Elisa, we took her to the ship and so Shanks came and that's pretty much about it"

"what apricots" the three men once again yelled

"I give up on them" Marco muttered at how was the crew trying to process things, it was impossible to think that this crew is the second strongest

"anyway I ran into nel on the way and she was trying to blame some people, then I told her that I don't care what happens to Asuna"

"captain why did you say that" Benn asks as he lights a new cigarette

"that's where you guys come in" he smirked "you guys are to go in shifts as bodyguards one by one, the first is Benn then Roo then Yasopp and so the cycle continues like this"

"okay so should I get going" Benn stated as he stood up from his seat

"wait a sec there is something give it to her if she wakes up" Shanks said before walking into her room, he walked to her bed and to where her rucksack is, he opened the bag and searched for a certain item once he found it he gave it to Benn who followed him into the room

"what is this" Marco asked eyeing the item, it was a circle divided into 5 parts: one small round in the middle and two lines perpendicular to each other dividing the circle to four parts, the lines dividing them were blue while the circle was dark blue, it was about 3cm thick.

"storage" Shanks stated

"storage?" Marco tilted his head to the side

"it's a magical item that acts as a storage hence the name, she puts all of her things in it" Shanks explained "I don't get it myself nor do I know how to use it"

"well I guess we better go" Benn threw the storage to Marco and proceeded out of the door

"o-okay" Marco shoved the storage in his pocket and they proceeded to the docks where the Moby dick is

* * *

**NEXT CHAPTER: between life and death - survive**

**preview:**

_**"so the rumors are true marco-taichō" a random crew member jumped to the commander and Benn - i wander what are the rumours  
**_

_**"operation success" elisa said as she massaged her temples - asuna is going to survive**_

_**"how did you do it, save her?" marco asked as he draped his hand around elisa's shoulders - always trust your girlfriend marco dont ask her how?**_

_**"JOZU, MARCO YOU BOTH ARE SO DEAD" a yell echoed through the ship, everyone knew who it belonged to but what did those two did to anger the second division commander nobody knew. - i can see marco in it but wonder what jozu did**_

**_"what?" izo yelled before he looked at ace, whose scowl only got angrier by the second_**

**_"ehhhhhhh" the people in the mess hall shouted, the place was silent for a while until Haruta punched ace on his head - what did you tell them ace *sighs* and what did you do to make Haruta punch you_**


	38. between life & death - survive

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 36: between life and death - survive**

Marco and Benn made their way to the Moby dick but it didn't go unnoticed by some pirates who are awake after their hangover since last night, it was currently noon. The streets were filled with people and the smell of food filled the air, though both men are hungry they ignored their stomachs and continued to the ship, the ship itself had an aroma surrounding it Marco guessed that the chefs are preparing a large meal – feast – for the crew though the time is slightly late regular lunch times, perhaps whitebeard ordered for lunch to be late today.

"from this point forward stick to me" Marco told Benn as they boarded the ship, Benn nodded and followed Marco quietly he didn't utter any word, what was occupying his mind currently was Asuna worry and fear never leaving him alone, last he saw his friend in a ridiculed state was when she ate a really small amount of apricot and at that time he thought she was going to die so what is going to happen since she has an extremely high amount in her system.

"So the rumors are true Marco-taichō" a random crew member jumped to the commander and Benn, he was followed by other members "is Asuna-chan sick? is she going to be alright? what happened? What are we going to do if ace finds her on board?" the many members bombarded Marco with many questions that the commander could no longer hear anything. Fed up with the men he raised his hand up thus shutting up each crewmember, they all looked at him waiting for an answer.

"I guarantee you that Asuna is going to be fine and don't worry about her Benn is here for security purposes, and ace isn't going to do a thing so I say let us continue to the infirmary and you continue whatever you are doing" Marco sighed as he replied to the questions he managed to hear and understand. In an instant all the crew members went back to doing their usual chores, Benn looked at Marco and raised an eyebrow "they are fan boys, most of the crew is"

"And you aren't going to tell them about the two" Benn asked Marco as they proceeded to the sickbay

"nope 1. Ace doesn't want them knowing 2. It's not my place to tell them" Marco replied using his index and middle fingers for making his point, Benn nodded. "We are here" Marco stated as he made a turn to the hallway leading to the sickbay, they could see two crewmembers guarding the door but there was no sign of ace anywhere.

"where is Ace?" Benn asked quietly as he took notice to the three guards and his surroundings, he though ace would be standing at the door and pacing around the corridor but he wasn't there, unfortunately for Benn ace was indeed there doing what he thought he was doing.

"we knocked him out?" Marco replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, he knew Benn would've expected ace to be there but no ace was in his room knocked out. Benn raised an eyebrow once again demanding and explanation "he was panicking and wouldn't stop pacing around so we had to do something"

"and knocking him out was the only option"

"usually a person would be knocked out for 12 hours but because of his devil fruit he will be knocked out for 2 to 5 hours"

"so how long has it been since you knocked him out"

"hmm more than hour" Marco replied and stood in front of the guards he was wondering just how fast did word go out and what exactly did Sora tell them, the guards remained their position as if their lives depended on it, Marco raised an eyebrow at what were the men doing "what the hell are you three doing" he questioned

the first to speak was the man with a red fez "we are guarding the room sir" Marco looked at the man wanting a more detailed explanation, his friend who was next to him understood what Marco wants and continued with the explanation "when news spread out everyone in the crew rushed here then oyaji came and told us to return doing are chores while three of us stand guard here"

"okay then you guys are dismissed go do whatever you want" Marco sighed wanting to get rid of the three men, they nodded and left the hallway to the galley. Marco was about to knock the door when it suddenly opened, out of it emerged an exhausted Elisa and .

"operation success" Elisa said as she massaged her temples "her treatment is much difficult than captain's but she is going to be alright she just needs to rest, she is going to wake up either tonight or tomorrow depends on how fast she is going to recover"

"right now we don't know when she is going to wake up it's up to her, but after 24 hours I am going to be able to give her a regenerative pill and when she wakes up by three or four days she is to take the nerve pills" explained the plan

"can I take a look doc" Benn pointed at the door

"but don't touch a thing" Elisa warned, Benn nodded and proceeded to the room he walked over to the bed where Asuna was asleep her skin was pale but not as pale as it was before this time it showed some signs of life, on her right index finger was a probe attached giving the ECG readings of her pulse, the readings were steady. There were two IV drips attached to her wrists, each wrist had a different bag, her upper left arm had a strap attached to it, which gave the sphygmometer readings of her blood pressure. She had an oxygen mask attached to her face, and was covered with three blankets probably due to her cold temperature. She was sleeping soundly her chest rising upwards and downwards, Benn walked towards her and caressed her cheeks lightly before removing a few strands of hair on her face.

"how did you do it, save her?" Marco asked as he draped his hand around Elisa's shoulders

"if hadn't noticed what was happening to her blood, we would still be having some trouble"

"what was happening to her blood" Benn asked and turned around to face Elisa

"some of the nutrients and vitamins caused the acid in her blood to increase as well as freeze her blood, in other words it's like poison her cell walls were frozen and burned over and over again, the reason she collapsed was because her air canals got burned and oxygen wasn't able to reach then the cells got frozen something like that" she explained

"this happened because each type of food has different levels of nutrients and vitamins nothing is the same, and her genes do not support those levels specifically I thinks she inherited them from her mother" explained, Benn nodded in understanding "just like Elisa-san said she just needs to rest and keep on strict medication"

"if my calculation are correct ace should wake up about now, the sedative should wear off by now, I put some extra dose because I knew ace would burn it off quickly" Elisa stated

"what sedative did you use to put him to sleep" asked

"zolpidem" she replied, kept quiet for sometime before dismissing himself, Marco led him out of the ship towards the dock before heading to the sickbay, once he arrived he saw Benn sitting in a chair waiting for Asuna to wake up and Elisa went to take a shower.

"do you want anything to eat or drink" he asked out of politeness otherwise he wouldn't ask anyone not part of the crew

"thanks but I'm not hungry" Benn replied, Marco raised an eyebrow he knew that Benn was hungry but why would he lie about it doesn't he trust them, Benn who noticed Marco's expression continued "it's just that seeing Asuna like this made me lose my appetite but I appreciate it" he smiled warmly at Marco

"JOZU, MARCO YOU BOTH ARE SO DEAD" a yell echoed through the ship, everyone knew who it belonged to but what did those two did to anger the second division commander nobody knew. Marco gulped as he took notice of the anger haki-imbued yell, though ace knows what haki is he doesn't know how to use it or control his haōshoku haki.

"what did you do" Benn asked Marco curiously

"I think he went to the bathroom" Marco said remembering what he did to anger the fire fist earlier, he also remembered that he kept the printed photo's there to dry away from people and that ace probably saw the photo's.

"you better go, I don't want him to fight in here" Benn ordered noticing Marco's expression. The first division commander left to see what he did to anger his fellow commander, upon reaching the commanders quarters he saw Jozu leaving while cursing and rubbing a sore spot on his face, from the looks of it he was punched by ace hardly.

"ace locked himself in the bathroom" Jozu stated slightly amused "I managed to calm him down when he woke up, after 5 minutes he wanted to go to the bathroom but the door was locked so he decided to go from your room and once he opened the door we found some unwanted pictures left to dry, and when I asked him why was he kissing Asuna in the pictures he said cant I kiss my fiancée and-"

"stop right there" Marco cut him off with curious eyes "you didn't happen to destroy my room did you" he asked worried of what could've happened to his room

"well I was in the middle of explaining" Jozu huffed

"sorry continue"

"after he said fiancée I kinda burst out laughing and then I said a few things that ticked the next thing I know was sent flying through the wall and crashed into your bed, man does ace pack a punch better go put some ice on it" Jozu made his way to the kitchen for a bag of ice, Marco stood there trying to comprehend how far the damage in his room was.

"what" he yelled before making a mad dash to his room, his eyes widened at the damage there was a huge hole in the wall of his walk in closet and the bed was crashed to pieces with a dent in the wall behind it, he walked into the hole and looked at the door of the bathroom opposite of the hole, he walked towards the door taking a deep breath before knocking on the door hardly "ace get out of that fucking bathroom so I can kill you" he yelled

the door of the bathroom opened faster than he expected but unfortunately his face met a flaming fist and was flung through the door of the closet to the desk in his room, landing with a loud crash and the shelf above the desk falling over his head "now you've done it" he growled as he pushed the pile of books from his body

"so I'm the one who did it, and you did not take extra pictures did you" ace growled back at Marco with a scowl decorating his face.

"crap" Marco cursed under his breath remembering that after beating the crap out of that reporter he stole the camera and took some extra pictures. They both kept quiet before Marco made a mad dash out of the room and was followed by ace who was yelling and cursing at him.

"what is this all about, you guys are making some noise" Izo interrupted as he stood between the two who somehow ended up in the mess hall with Marco trying to escape ace

"ace is engaged that's what it is about" Jozu replied without any enthusiasm to and was ready to knock the two out

"what?" Izo yelled before he looked at ace, whose scowl only got angrier by the second

"ehhhhhhh" the people in the mess hall shouted, the place was silent for a while until Haruta punched ace on his head

"what was that for" ace rubbed the sore spot on his head and glared at Haruta

"you get engaged without telling us" she started "and for how long did you date that girl and do we know her, you do know she might hold us back, and she cannot love you the whole time when you are at sea, sooner or later she is going to ask for a divorce, when you are married ace it means you are committed to the woman, you cannot have fun with other women and you are going to have to stay by her side, do you understand what it means ace"

"I know what I'm doing Haruta and yes you do know her, we have been dating on and off for three years, she is strong and there is no way she can slow us down" ace explained. The audience in the room gaped their mouths in shock, how did they not know that ace was dating someone for past three years, moreover she didn't mind him having fun with other woman but what the crew didn't know was that he was lying about them dating on and off for three years.

"close your mouths or flies while enter them" Elisa stated as she leaned to the doorframe of the mess hall, immediately most crew members shut their mouths and looked at Elisa, she was wearing a dark blue pleated skirt reaching slightly above the knee with a white zip-up blouse leaving it unzipped slightly at the top showing her cleavage the sleeves folded to her elbow and black knee length boots. "what?" she asked as she noticed everyone looking at her "I don't look that bad"

"since when were you standing there" Marco asked breaking the silence

"since you decided to make the mess hall a sparing ground" she growled "Marco can I talk to you and ace in private for a second" she said it nicely with a deadly aura surrounding her, both commanders nod and walk towards her nervously once the were in her arms reach she grabbed each one of them by the ear and walked off somewhere.

"I feel sorry for them" Haruta said as she looked at the two struggling men being dragged by one angry nurse, everyone in the room nodded before counting what they were doing before.

* * *

"captain I have brought them here" Elisa says as she enters the '_study room_' behind her was Marco and ace rubbing their ears and glaring at each other. Whitebeard placed his bottle of sake down and laughed at the sight before him, both commanders looked at him with confused expressions

"Marco don't you think you owe ace an apology" whitebeard stated

"he started it" Marco pointed at ace with a frown on his face

"I did" ace raised his voice and walked towards Marco ready to punch him, it didn't matter if whitebeard was sitting right there "so who was it that took photo's of me and my fiancée and was going to blackmail me with it"

"ace" whitebeard spoke and raised an eyebrow, he knew that ace wanted to speak in private about it and that the pirates behind the wall and door eaves dropping didn't help it "anyone eavesdropping is going to get punished" he said loudly, soon enough all those who were trying to eavesdrop ran away from the hallway and left the two commanders along with Elisa to speak with whitebeard. Ace glared at Marco who poked his tongue out at him, "ace mind explaining what is this fiancée business you are talking about, and Marco what are you going to blackmail your brother"

"Asuna and I are engaged we will get married after I kill teach, last night when I proposed to her Marco took pictures of us alone and printed them, our efforts to keep our relationship a secret is useless thanks to Marco, who is planning to use those pictures against us two" ace explained in a more quieter but grumpy tone

"Marco"

"first off I didn't take pictures a reported took it then _we" _Marco gestured to himself and Elisa "beat the crap out of him and stole the camera"

"then you decided to take more photo's of the lovely couple saying you will use them to tease him and blackmail him into doing your chores while you go and do _some stuff,_ I warned you not to but you didn't listen" Elisa interrupted Marco's explanation

"and you expect me to sit down and let him get away with it" ace mumbled as he took a seat at the corner

"hey in my own defense you had a good but wrong making out spot, might as well have sex in the middle of the mess hall"

"Marco" whitebeard growled

"he crashed my room that's why I got angry"

"that's enough apologize to each other and Marco you better keep your mouth shut"

"okay" Marco's frown disappeared and his expression returned to his usual lazy face "I'm sorry I took photo's of you and Asuna" whitebeard looked at him wanting more "and I am not going to tease you anymore"

"that's more like it, and ace don't you think you own Marco an apology"

"I'm sorry for hitting you and crashing your room" ace apologized

"great now for your broken room you can have ace's until yours get fixed"

"and where should I sleep" ace asked whitebeard

"Marco will pay for your inn rent"

"what" Marco snapped

"call it even, now I don't want to hear anymore about it Elisa keep a watch on them"

"yes sir" Elisa replied, both commanders sighed and walked out of the '_study room_' on the way to the hallway Marco whispered something to ace who smirked and told him to play along with him. For those who don't know ace's and Marco's weird relationship would think something is wrong with them but actually it's just them, messing with each other then becoming best friends a second later.

The rest of the afternoon ace worked on helping Marco clean up and fixing his room before heading to the sickbay, when he arrived it was changing shifts time Benn had left and Lucky Roo was taking his place, ace took a seat in front of Asuna and watched her sleeping or looking at her heart rate or went to the kitchen and grabbed some food and brought it back to the sickbay for him and Roo to eat, the crew wandered what ace was doing there but ignored it they were afraid to ask, the one answer they got was that since ace brought her here he is responsible for her that's why he goes to the sickbay. Time passed by and ace hadn't notice that it was night and Roo is now changing shifts with Yasopp by far nothing weird has happened, slowly he drifted to sleep his head resting on the side of the bed while his hand held Asuna's

* * *

**next chapter: waking up**

**preview:**

_**"captain what are you doing here?" yasopp whispered loudly - YES SHANKS WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE**_

_**"asuna honey say something" shanks smiled trying to show no signs of panic and worry whatsoever - WHY ARE YOU PANICKING SHANKS?**_

_**"ace you're suffocating her" shanks said in a worried tone - WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER ACE : **_

_**"what it's too early for her to wake up, and what do you mean by not responding" elisa went into her room and grabbed some slippers before heading back to sickbay - SOMETHING IS FISHY HERE**_

_**"asuna are you sure that's how you spell your name?" shanks asked as he looked at his daughter**_

**_"elisa-chan what is going on" ace asks confused at what his fiancée wrote - WHAT IS ASUNA WRITING TO MAKE THEM CONFUSED_**


	39. waking up

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 37: waking up**

"be quiet you will wake them up" a crew member whispered as he took the empty tray of food on the floor next to the bed where Asuna was asleep

"I know but look" another said as he pointed at Ace's hand that was holding Asuna's firmly "he is holding her hand and asleep next to her, Ace never left the room since Elisa-chan finished"

"well lets just hurry up and go I don't want to get smacked" the other replied and left the sick bay, both men left and closed the door behind them only to come back again and peek from the window to see what is going on forgetting their night shift, unknown to them there was a person walking up from behind them. "what do you think" the man asked his companion

"I don't know but there most be something going on there is no way Ace will flip on Asuna-chan like this"

"perhaps he feels responsible since he brought her here….hmmm I don't know but there is something fishy about it"

"what are you two peeking at" the mysterious person asked

"Ace is… AKAGAMI" shouted one of the two men as he looked around and saw Shanks standing behind them, both men took a fighting stance and pulled out their daggers. Shanks raised his hand up in the air and chuckled at them, the two night guards looked at Shanks confused they tilted their heads slightly thinking that the yonko must be crazy.

"I'm just checking on Asuna, and I'm going to relieve Yasopp from his shift any problems with that" he waved his hand and smiled, both men shook their heads and let Shanks enter the sickbay. Slowly Shanks walked up to Yasopp and patted his shoulder waking the sniper up, he put his finger up to his lips telling the sniper to be quiet Yasopp nodded at his captain, standing up Shanks gestured Yasopp to follow him outside so the can talk.

"captain what are you doing here?" Yasopp whispered loudly

"I'm staying until dawn Benn is then going to replace me, you go get some sleep and rest well" Shanks ordered

"yes captain" with that Yasopp made his leave and Shanks returned to the sickbay, as he creaked the door open he was met with a sight he never expected to see. He saw Asuna awake sitting holding Ace's hand staring at his sleeping form, her eyes were cold and emotionless sitting there quietly not moving an inch somehow she removed the oxygen mask and the probe on her finger along with the sphygmometer strap on her arm and IV drips, Shanks opened the door and rushed towards her pulling her into a hug but to his surprise she just sat there motionless her hand never leaving Ace's. Shanks pulled away and ruffled her hair with a smile, Asuna just stared into Shanks eye still emotionless, her lips were sealed tightly and never parted ever since he saw her.

"Asuna honey say something" Shanks smiled trying to show no signs of panic and worry whatsoever, he cupped one of his daughters cheeks as a way of reassuring her everything will be okay but Asuna didn't say a word she just stared into Shanks dark orbs without blinking even once "Asuna" he raised an eyebrow at how weird she was acting but still no reply from the girl. Shanks stood up from where he was sitting next to the girl "I'm going to get a doctor" he said and was about to leave when a hand grabbed his, he turned round to see Asuna holding his hand and was looking at it with fear she lifted her head and parted her lips to speak but shut them back again and used her other hand to grab her throat, those were her first movement ever since she woke up. "you're cold" he said as he held her hand and rubbed them with his own, the girl looked at the action before nodding slowly, to Shanks it was as if she was a 5 year old who got hurt and is scared.

Asuna pulled her hand away and moved it to Shanks face tracing the three scars over his eyes with her finger like a child, she tilted her head slightly as she cupped her fathers face before looking at Ace's face that was facing her, she moved her hand away from Shanks face and poked Ace's cheek lightly "mmm" Ace mumbled in his sleep before moving his hand and using it as a pillow, amused by this action though her expression was still emotionless she poked his cheek again but hardly this time "what" Ace mumbled and pushed the hand poking him away, her lips twitched slightly before poking him once again. fed up with the poking Ace woke up and was about to give the person annoying him a beating until his eyes landed on the girl sitting on bed, his scowled turned to a smile as he jumped at Asuna and pulled her into a hug, once again the girl sat there motionlessly as she was being squashed by the second division commander "thank god you are alright"

"Ace you're suffocating her" Shanks said in a worried tone, Ace quickly let go and looked at the red haired pirate quickly before sitting in front of his fiancée, Shanks noticed Asuna looking at Ace confused and studying his face, Ace tore his gaze from Shanks and looked at Asuna whose hand was now stretched and landed on his freckles, both men looked at her surprised as she traced the freckles on Ace's cheeks "Ace can you go get Elisa-san now and have her look what is going on, Asuna was acting like this ever since she woke up"

"y-yeah" Ace hesitated before he jumped out of the bed but his hand was held back by Asuna who held it tightly she looked at him with the same look as she did when Shanks was about to leave earlier; fear and pain. "I will be right back" he cupped her cheeks and stroked them "I'm just going to get a doctor the one who saved you, it's going to be alright Shanks is going to be by your side he will protect you there is nothing to be scared off" he said softly in a reassuring tone, Asuna looked at Ace before she nodded and grabbed Shanks shirt, she watched as Ace left the room quickly to go get Elisa.

"it's going to be alright" Shanks reassured her as he placed his sword on Asuna's lap, she studied the sword in it's case before unsheathing it halfway and lifting it up in the air studying the metal and the hilt, she looked at Shanks before sheathing the sword and handing it back to Shanks, as she did she noticed that Shanks kept using his right arm, upon careful inspection she noticed his left hand to be missing, Asuna's eyes widened in shock as she pointed to Shanks's missing arm. "oh this, it's nothing you should worry about" he held his shoulder where the arm should be and smiled at her.

* * *

"what the hell do you want at this time Ace" Elisa growled as she opened the door of her room "it's 2 am in the morning you know that, and why aren't you asleep you have a game tomorrow" she stated as she held her robe firmly around her body

"Asuna woke up but she isn't responding" Ace explained

"what it's too early for her to wake up, and what do you mean by not responding" Elisa went into her room and grabbed some slippers before heading back to sickbay

"I don't know she doesn't talk and when I hugged her she was motionless she just keeps staring as a child looking at something new, her only emotions are of curiosity and fear"

"I just hope it isn't what I think it is" Elisa grunted before opening the door to the sickbay, she opened the door with such force that Asuna cowered in fear behind Shanks who grabbed his sword but lowered it once he saw Elisa standing and behind her Ace "sorry I didn't mean to scare you I was just worried" Elisa said softly as she looked at Asuna's expression "my name is Elisa but you can call me whatever you want I don't mind any name"

"what are you" Ace spoke as he noticed Elisa's behavior he looked at Asuna who nodded her head slowly and loosened her grip on Shanks shirt, Elisa opened the drawer of her desk and pulled and empty sheet of paper and attached it to a clipboard, she handed the clipboard with a pencil to Asuna.

"I want you to write your name okay on this piece of paper okay" Asuna nodded and did what she was told Ace and Shanks looked at how Asuna slowly wrote despite being a fast writer, once she finished Asuna handed the clipboard back to Elisa, both men moved to look at what she had wrote and their eyes widened at the spelling: HarT de. aSnA

"Asuna are you sure that's how you spell your name?" Shanks asked as he looked at his daughter, Asuna frowned at what Shanks said and shook her head

"never mind him, can you write your age and birth place and where you live" Elisa this time asked, Asuna looked at her confused but grabbed the clipboard and wrote in it again before handing it back, this time Ace grabbed the clipboard and was about to read it when he let it fall from his hands in shock, Shanks picked up the clipboard and his eyes widened before handing it to Elisa who had a similar reaction to Ace and Shanks, what Asuna wrote was: Ag 6 or 12, Brth plAs wESt blU, liV MAGI.

"Elisa-chan what is going on" Ace asks confused at what his fiancée wrote

"Asuna-chan what do you mean by 6 or 12" Elisa asked, Asuna grabbed the clipboard and wrote down: I rMebEr uNtil I 6 BuT itS bLurRy tiL 12 tHeN NthnG oNLy I FiL saFe wtH TwO mAn

"what does she mean by this" Shanks asked as he read the paper

"dissociative fugue a type of amnesia, it may take a while until her memory returns but know we are stuck with a girl who remembers everything from age 6 but between 6 and 12 it's fuzzy after that it's instinct that tells her good or bad, it's because right now you two are probably the most important people in her life she trusts you"

"oi how bad is her amnesia, I mean what does she know and doesn't know" asked a slightly panicked Shanks

"look I'm going to ask her a few questions and that's it for today let her rest" Elisa glared at the two men before grabbing the clipboard and writing on it, she then handed it back to Asuna "look I want you to write the name of your parent's and family and friends okay that's it for today you will have to rest and tomorrow we will continue okay" Asuna nodded her head and wrote on the clipboard

_mother: HaRt De Akia_

_father: ? iS it ThE rEd hArE MaN_

_other family: milS-SaN, niE-SaMa, SkY-nE-ChN_

_friends: DnT HaV_

"yes this man here Shanks is your father" Elisa said as she read Asuna's answers and handed the clipboard to Shanks who looked at the board confused as he never heard his daughter speak of having a sister or brother, but what pained him that she never had any friends, Ace also wore the same expression as Shanks but his curiosity took the best of him

"why didn't you have any friends" he asked, Asuna's smile when she found out that Shanks is her father for the second time faded to a frown, she looked down tears ready to roll down as she clutched the sheets tightly "hey don't cry, big girls don't cry" Ace pulled her into a hug as he sat down in front of her, he rested his chin on her head and looked at Elisa and Shanks, the former glared at him with a '_shut up'_ look, Ace looked at her with a _'what did I say_' look. Before they could say anything Asuna pulled away and pointed to Ace and gestured who is he

"that's Ace your fiancé" Shanks replied but Asuna tilted her head slightly not understanding the word, of course how could a six year old know what fiancé means, Shanks sighed before re-correcting himself "husband"

"…." Asuna looked at Ace for a while letting what she was told sink in before she flushed red, Ace chuckled slightly before ruffling her hair and kissing her forehead

"well it's late at night, we better get some sleep specially you Ace you have a big day ahead of you, so do you akagami" Elisa clapped her hands as she placed the clipboard and pencil on the desk before looking at Asuna and handing her the clipboard and pencil back "can you write what hurts" Asuna nodded before she pointed to her throat as she didn't know what it was, Elisa gave of a humming sound as she saw Asuna write something on the clipboard, as she took the clipboard a smile crossed her face as she placed the clipboard on the desk "well I don't know much about you perhaps tomorrow Shanks-san can tell you but you are 20 years old and a famous pirate and a strong fighter who uses magic and you like to party a lot" Asuna beamed at what she was just told.

"well I will see you tomorrow okay, I wish I can stay the night but I cant, love you" Shanks said as he kissed Asuna's forehead and left the sickbay. Asuna looked a bit hurt at Shanks leave and held Ace's hand tightly, when Elisa was about to leave Asuna's stomach growled much to her embarrassment

"are you hungry" Elisa asked and the girl nodded "then follow me" the girl beamed again as she was about to get off Ace helped her but as she took one step her legs failed her and fell to the ground "what's wrong, do they hurt" she asked in a rather panicked tone, Asuna shook her head as she pointed to the clipboard, Ace understood that she was going to write went and gave her the clipboard Asuna quickly wrote in the board: mE LgS hEaVY

"then I will carry you" Ace said as he threw the clipboard onto the bed and carried Asuna bridal style which caused her to blush deeply, the three of them headed towards the kitchen, Elisa prepared a quick cold meal for Asuna and told Ace that he cant eat as the food is for the young girl "but why I'm hungry too" he whined, Asuna smiled at Ace and if she could she would've laughed

"oi wh- Asuna-chan is awake" beamed a crewman who was on guard duty, and jumped towards Asuna, she tightened her grip around Ace's neck in fear and hid her face in his chest

"stop it you'll scare her" Elisa jumped in front of the man and punched him lightly, the man stopped in his track and studied Asuna's scared figure in Ace's hands before nodding "I thought we lost Asuna-chan" the man sighed

"lost" Ace asks

"yeah pops asked me to check on the infirmary but when I got there the room was empty" the man explained

"Ace, take Asuna to captain and explain the situation, I will finish her meal and will come" Elisa ordered, Ace nodded and walked to the door he realized that Asuna's grip on his neck tightened "it's alright oyaji is a great man he was worried as well that's why this man came looking for you because you weren't in bed" Ace said softly, the man blinked at what he saw and was about to comment but Ace glared at him causing the man to shut up.

* * *

"come in" whitebeard said as he heard the knock on his door, Ace did as he was told and closed the door behind him, he took a seat close to whitebeard with Asuna sitting on his lap now still holding to him tightly "is she allowed to leave bed" whitebeard asked as he saw Asuna

"yeah she recovered faster than what we thought but there is one problem" Ace said as he lifted his hand and put it around Asuna's before whispering something in her ear that made her loosen her grip and less scared "you see oyaji, Asuna has amnesia she doesn't remember anything after 6 and she cant speak because her throat is hurting her, she is scared of everyone the only people she trust by far are me, Shanks and Elisa-chan"

"I sensed the brat coming to the ship, he's still worried and had to check on his daughter personally" he looked at Asuna who was gaping at his moustache "gurarara what do you find this mustache" he asked, Asuna smiled and pointed to the mustache as if she wanted to laugh

"oyaji do you have a paper and a pen" Ace asked and looked at Asuna who understood what he wanted her to do, "yeah you will find some on the table" whitebeard pointed to the desk at the end of the room, Ace stood up and placed Asuna on the chair before grabbing the paper, he quickly came back as he saw her looking at him with dreaded eyes, he handed her the paper and watched as she wrote down. "you dad has funny mustache" Ace read aloud slowly, his lips twitched upwards and tried not to laugh

"gurarara you think I have a funny mustache" whitebeard asked as he laughed at Asuna who nodded at him quickly "you see Ace isn't my real son, it's a thing in our crew I call them sons and they call me oyaji, we are like a big family" Asuna looked at Ace as a smile etched her face, Ace ruffled her hair gently before kissing her forehead. A soft knock on the door saved Asuna from her embarrassment "come in" whitebeard replied, the door was opened to reveal Elisa standing with her hand around her robe protecting her from the cold

"so it seems Asuna has taken I liking to captain" Elisa stated as she closed the door behind her

"how long is she going to be in this state" whitebeard asked as he saw Asuna smiling like a child and was holding Ace's hand

"I don't know but it is most like her fear of death probably once she gets over that fear she will regain her memory"

"good that's all I want to know" whitebeard paused for a while before looking at Ace and Asuna "Ace you are staying on the ship tomorrow, I will give you complete responsibility of Asuna until she regains her memory"

"really" Ace looked at whitebeard with surprise "what about the games tomorrow"

"were you really going to participate if I let you"

"no"

"good"

"Ace I remember Asuna being hungry" Elisa interrupted as she pointed to Asuna who was tugging Ace's shirt "I put the tray in the sickbay I need to check how her digestive system functions if she can eat properly or we need to transfer it through IV"

"good night oyaji" Ace said as he picked Asuna up and headed to the door, Asuna looked at whitebeard and waved at him before leaving. They walked back to the sickbay and Ace place Asuna on the bed while Elisa grabbed the tray and put it next to Asuna "okay I want you to eat and tell me if it hurts anywhere okay" Elisa instructed, Asuna nodded and looked at the plate of cold soup before taking it in her hands she kept looking at it for a while, she lifted her head and looked at Elisa wandering what it is.

"another doctor who helped me treat you told me what you can eat and what you cant, this is a cold vegetable soup from earlier I just blended it to make the vegetables less rough…um so you can eat easily" Elisa explained. While Elisa was explaining Asuna didn't notice the plate taken away from her and a spoon in front of her, when she tore her eyes from Elisa's face did she notice that, she trailed the hand holding the spoon and saw Ace trying to feed her, Asuna blushed as Ace gestured her to eat it "take it" he ordered, having no choice Asuna took it and swallowed the soup slowly before chocking hardly on it.

"Asuna are you okay" Ace quickly set the plate aside and went to rubbing Asuna's back, the girl nodded weakly as she coughed harder while placing her hand between her chest and throat, Elisa grabbed a cup of water and gave it to Asuna who gulped it down quickly, one last cough and Asuna let a breathe of relief.

"does it burn or sting" Elisa asked as she rested her hand over Asuna's chest, the girl looked at her with watery eyes and nodded "does it hurt a lot" the girl nodded then shock her head "it hurts but not much" Asuna gave her a confused face, Elisa grabbed the clipboard from earlier and handed it to Asuna who wrote down: FiRst HrT tHn No, aD WtR 2 SuP

"okay so the water eases the pain" Elisa asked as she looked up from the paper to Asuna who nodded at her. Ace grabbed the water cup and poured the soup in it, he used the spoon to mix them together before handing her the cup, Asuna grabbed the cup and took a deep breath before slowly gulping it down, she made a few sour faces but finished her soup in the end and gave the empty cup to Ace who set it aside.

"is there anything else" Elisa asked but Asuna shook her head and rubbed her eyes, Elisa smiled at the scene before her "Ace let her sleep in your room tonight it's safe for her and best when she wakes up"

"what" Ace looked at Elisa with wide eyes

"I said let her sleep with you it's safer for her and for you if you want to keep your relationship a secret that is after you told everyone that you are engaged I doubt things will go your way" Ace looked down thinking "and don't worry Marco is staying at the hotel tonight remember the games"

"yosh lets go" Ace pumped his fist and carried Asuna, the girl let out a silent yawn as she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, Ace made his way to the commanders quarters without getting noticed and opened the door to his room, he walked up to his bed after kicking it close and locking it, he placed Asuna gently on the bed though when he was about to stand back up she held his shirt -that he was still wearing - tightly, Ace tried to wriggle out of the grip but no avail, sighing he pushed of his boots and rolled next to her putting a hand over her figure pulling her into a hug as he pulled the blankets covering them both.


	40. second day of amnesia

**A/N: i'm back with an update, it's just writers block and i am getting busy, ever since summer started i ended up getting busy and i barely have time to write, but i am planning to dedicate my time to this story and i will not stop, after 1 month i will travel but i will try to write while i do so and after that collage will steal my time, but don't worry i will not stop writing until i hit that complete button.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 38: second day of amnesia**

Rays of sunlight filled the room, the squawking of seagulls filling the air along with the sound of waves crashing to the docks and the side of the ship, the sound of fishermen selling their goods and civilians chattering, or the noise of pirates loading and restocking, the island was full of live today it was the final day of the games, 4 captains are going to be labeled the Yonko and will gain a lot of treasure. The two figures in the room covered in a thin piece of blanket were cuddled to each other, they ignored the world around them too exhausted from the day before, they were deep in sleep they didn't notice the panic and noise coming from the crew above them, apparently one of the lower class went to check up on Asuna and found her missing that man ended up telling the entire crew that Asuna is missing thus causing the ruckus above.

Said pirate girl was starting to wake up from her sleep thanks to the noise, she turned around and slowly opened her eyes getting it to adjust to the light, she was faced by the other sleeping person next to her, he had his hand wrapped around her waist and one of his legs was slightly positioned over hers. She blinked once… twice, the features of the freckled pirate next to her sunk in and Asuna let out a low scream before jumping and falling out of the bed onto her head, she winced in pain before sitting up straight and rubbing the back of her head "oww" she whined before coming to realization, she place her hand over her throat in surprise and remembered what happened last night, her other hand massaged one of her temples due to a mild headache, she sat on her knees and looked at Ace '_so this guy is my husband no fiancé' _she thought as she studied his features and a smile etched her face '_he is kinda hot, I wonder how I fell for him_' she let out a breath that was hanging and looked around the room '_what a messy room, I have to wait for Ace to wake up, Elisa-Chan told me to stay hidden with Ace I can see why those guys sure are noisy but why are they looking for me' _she wondered

Asuna stood up and noticed that her legs weren't as heavy as they were last nigh, at least she can move now and wouldn't have to be carried around, she took a few steps forward until she noticed two doors. She walked towards the one parallel to the bed and rested her hand on it, closing her eyes she started to feel the other side '_another room'_ she opened her eyes and looked at the door knob before twisting it open, she poked her head through the small space and saw nothing but a closet and another door, she opened the door fully and stared in awe at the size of the closet '_wow is that really a closet_' she walked in the closet and looked at the similar pair of short over and over then there was a small amount of different shirts and a mirror in the same section, on the opposite side there was a collection of hats but there was one that caught Asuna's attention it was a orange cowboy-style hat with two smileys – one happy the other a sad face and red beads, there was an entire shelf of them, also there were different types of daggers and tools on that section of the closet.

'_He likes those orange funny hat_' Asuna giggled and faced the door in front of the one she came through, without any hesitation she opened the door to reveal a small bathroom with what appears to be burnt wood and another door opposite this one '_a shared bathroom with some burn marks'_ she thought before looking at herself, she was dressed in a black tank top and jeans, and was walking barefoot '_I'm in the mood for a bath but I don't have any clothes, and there is no chance any of Ace's clothes can fit' _she searched through the shelves looking for anything that may be small on Ace but no avail '_perhaps I can ask him to check with Elisa-Chan maybe she has something that might fit me_' she turned around and saw Ace in deep sleep and frowned '_maybe on a second thought I will take some of his clothes he wouldn't mind_' Asuna thought and grabbed the smallest shorts and shirt and headed into the bathroom.

While Asuna was busy taking a quick shower Ace seemed to notice something missing, he mumbled in his sleep and tried to feel something missing, he slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room slowly and noticed that there was no one next to him, he sat up and scanned the room one again quickly "Asuna" he muttered and tried to get out of bed but stumbled and fell on the floor face first, Ace sat up quickly and rubbed his nose "where did she go" he muttered as he put on his shoe, as he stood up he heard some door open but he cant place it quiet well.

"Ace" a voice said he clearly knows but what shocked him is that Asuna spoke he turned around and saw Asuna coming out of the closet with a towel over her body it barely reached to her thighs and it hugged her body showing her curves and slightly her cleavage, Ace blushed at the sight and turned around quickly "Asuna honey can you please put on some clothes your distracting me, I cant think straight with you like that" Asuna pouted and returned to the closet '_what's with him, if I am his wife he should've seem me at least naked once, just what did we do when we are alone'_ she thought and put on one of his shorts and a shirt before getting out.

"Better" she croaked and put a hand over her throat as it slightly stung her, Ace turned around and widened in shock seeing Asuna wearing his clothes "I think you would need clothes that would fit" he pointed out, Asuna raised and eyebrow at him and rested a hand on her hip '_you think'_ she thought.

"That's right I completely forgot Shanks said to give you this" he pulled a round item – the storage – out of his pocket and walked over to Asuna, she took it and looked at it before turning it around "do you know what this is or how to use it" Asuna looked at Ace before shrugging "probably" she croaked hoarsely again, through instinct she channeled her energy to the circle in the middle and clicked on it, instantly a screen appeared in the air "what is this" Ace looked at the screen as her name first appeared before changing to another screen. There were four icons on the new screen: CLOTHING, FOOD, ITEMS, and TRANSPORTATION. Each of the icons had a picture corresponding it's category, for items there was a chest full of different things, Asuna clicked on the button at the top left and the screen changed showing four other icons the one at the right said more and had two arrows pointing right. "Wow is your whole closet in there" he asked, Asuna just shrugged not knowing about her current lifestyle thanks to her amnesia.

She selected the icon that said shirts and the screen changed this time viewing 20 icons, each one had a picture of a shirt and under it was a number except for number 20 which was two arrows pointing right. She shuffled between pages before picking an icon with lion brown sleeveless shirt that reached a little above her thighs and was a turtleneck, it had two dark brown lines running across the sides, suddenly a light appeared and the shirt appeared out of nowhere, Ace stared in astonishment. She then pressed the circle in the middle which lead her to the main clothing page and flipped through the pages until she reached tights, she clicked on it and picked a coffee colored legging that had feet covers, the same happened and it appeared neatly folded on top of the shirt. Asuna repeated the process with the shoes and picked ankle length boots that are folded at the ankle and were lion brown in color, she then went to the lingerie section and Ace's face flushed as he saw the different types of clothing, Asuna also had a similar reaction to Ace but of lesser extent, once she had her choice of clothes laid on the bed she handed Ace the storage before grabbing her clothes and heading back to the bathroom '_what does she wear those clothes for, and when does she use them, just don't use them against me'_ Ace thought.

After two minutes Asuna came out fully dressed, the shirt hugged her body showing her curves her hair tied up in a messy ponytail, Ace shook the dirty thoughts out of his head before going into the bathroom "I'm going to take a quick shower stay here and do not leave" he ordered, Asuna puffed her cheeks and sat on the bed playing with the storage and exploring what she has of clothing but first she put the clothes that she took off in the dirty section, looking through all of her clothes and food stock Asuna sighed wanting to know what she had in her ITEMS category '_Skye-nee-Chan is right about me not having a sense of shame, still after that beating miles-san gave me when I was 8 to knock sense in me it is of no use, those lingerie and nightwear are another story, and why does it seem that my only food stock is alcohol, my life is so messed up when right now, damn I want my memory back_' Asuna thought. She clicked on her ITEMS icon and more sub-category's appeared but what caught Asuna's attention was the _magical tools_ icon, she clicked on it and went through the many magical items that she had but what caught her attention was a light blue pen with an arched clip and it's end adorned with a small sphere, she clicked on the item to see it's information '_air pen allows the user to write in the air around them by bending light, the writing stays for how long the user wants, currently there are three colors in reserve: pink, blue and green. Color upgrade is available_' Asuna read in her mind, she smiled and clicked on the pen and it appeared in front of her, she looked at the pen before grabbing it and turning the upper tube to the left, the nib of the pen glowed yellow and Asuna proceeded to write in the air: Heart D. Asuna

It was way past what she expected and her name was written in a shade of baby blue '_this is better than a paper and pen, now fade' _she thought and as she ordered the light began to dissolve and the air was clean. Asuna looked at her storage before turning it off and focus on how to use the pen, she wrote different phrases and each time the pen automatically would change color from baby blue to pink and to pistachio green she kept practicing until she got the hang of it. Hearing the doorknob of the bathroom open Asuna decided to write something for Ace, she neatly wrote in the air though her writing was already neat compared to last night, as Ace opened the door and came out with his usual outfit consisting of black shorts, a belt, black boots, and his orange hat and beads, Asuna blushed at the sight of Ace half naked, his eyes widened at shock on what he saw was written on the air:

_SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WORRY EARLIER _

_BUT KNOW EVEN THOUGH I CANT REMEMBER OUR TIME TOGETHER _

_I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU_

_-YOUR WIFE ASUNA 3_

Each line was different color and was written neatly in an attempted calligraphy, Asuna looked at the floor quite shy she puffed her cheeks out before looking at Ace with a smile as she made the writing disappear. Ace looked at her with amazement as he walked towards her "it's okay you don't have to be sorry, and you will remember our time sooner in life, I love you too" he pulled her in an embrace and Asuna hugged him back. One thing she noticed is that his temperature was above normal, she pushed Ace back before resting her palm on his forehead and feeling his temperature a second later she let out a gasp and grabbed the air pen '_YOUR TEMPERATURE IS HIGH'_ she wrote, before writing anything else Ace held her hand and smiled "you know what a devil fruit is?" he asked. Asuna thought for a while before writing in the air '_I THINK I HEARD ABOUT IT, IS IT A FRUIT THAT GIVES YOU SUPERPOWERS BUT MAKES YOU LOSE YOUR ABILITY TO SWIM_' Ace read the sentence before it faded away and nodded "yeah, I ate one of them and it's the mera-mera no mi, I became a fire human, that's why I have high body temperatures" he explained as he lit one of his fingers.

Asuna backed away a few steps fear striking her eyes "it's okay I wont burn you" Ace reassured her and extinguished the fire from his hands, Asuna let out a breath of relief before grabbing her pen and writing in the air: _I'M HUNGRY CAN WE GO EAT_. Ace chuckled and flung his arm around her shoulder "of course we will go eat" he smiled and headed towards the door before coming to a stop, Asuna turned around and looked at Ace wandering what's wrong "you still don't remember anything about your current life right" he asked Asuna nodded her head "then just one thing if you ever see Shanks never call him dad, it's a secret not many people know" Asuna nodded and grabbed her air pen '_THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO CALL HIM' _she asked. "You usually call him Shanks or Akagami but remember never call him dad" he explained and unlocked the door. As they stepped out Asuna held Ace's arm tightly in fear and worry "scared" he asked her, she looked at him and gave a weak smile "little" she croaked and hugged his arm as they made their way out to the deck, somehow he managed to interlock their fingers together '_they are so noisy I cant leave Ace's side with those people yelling and screaming around, the thought of me being alone without Ace on this ship is pretty freaky I don't think I will last a day'_ Asuna commented in her mind.


	41. second day of amnesia II

**A/N: double update because this was already written and i was so in the mood to proof read + post it, i am currently working on the next few chapters so i will probably update the day after tomorrow, i wish i would do it tomorrow but i will be going out again, i was lucky to stay at home tonight and write, well i spoke a lot her is your double chapter**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 39: second day of amnesia II**

As the two couple reached up to the deck Asuna decided to release her hold on Ace and walk behind him, she studied the tattoo on his back and couldn't believe that she failed to notice it earlier, how could she miss that big purple tattoo, and felt that she needed to be smacked hardly. Ace pushed the door open and looked at his panicked companions after adjusting his eyesight to the light, "what is going you guys why are you running around" he asked, all eyes turned to face him more specifically the person standing behind him "there she is" everyone yelled in unison pointing at Asuna who shuddered once everyone pointed at her, instinctively she held to Ace's hand tightly and hid behind him. "Stay away" Ace yelled at the pirates who were running towards him, they immediately stopped in their tracks and looked at Ace confused, he whispered something to her that they couldn't make and saw her come from behind Ace with watery eyes, immediately their faces flooded with guilt.

"What's with the noise" a sigh came from behind them, Ace and Asuna turned around and saw Elisa walking up to them, Asuna let go of Ace and flew towards Elisa hugging the woman tightly, the already confused pirates tilted their heads in more confusion not understanding what is going on "first Ace and now Elisa-san why is Asuna-chan acting weird" a crew member cried and was followed by other cries, Asuna stifled a giggle at the grown up men crying. "No one is to come close to Asuna by far she trust four people and we don't want her to regress any more got it" she ordered

"What do you mean?" Ace asked

"Aside from amnesia her behavior indicates regression meaning her mind has become less developed to an earlier stage such as last night, even though she cant remember she must have an adult mind but she was stuck with a six year old mind" Elisa explained "I think her amnesia and regression are linked together"

"Well if they link together then Asuna must have regained her memories she can write much fluently and improved her spelling and handwriting" Ace stated, the head nurse looked at Asuna who nodded and pulled out her air pen and wrote in the air: _I CAN REMEMBER CLEARLY UNTIL I WAS 10 AND A BIT MORE UNTIL I WAS 12 THEN THERE ARE A LITTLE IMAGES OF WHEN I WAS 13_

"What was that" Elisa asked as she read what was written before it faded away, Asuna smiled and wrote once again but in a different color: _AIR PEN LET'S ME WRITE IN THE AIR USING LIGHT AND IT FADES WHEN I WANT TO ERASE WHAT IS WRITTEN_

"Oh okay then we will discuss things in private but first we need to eat something" Elisa stated and pulled Asuna with her to the galley, once they were inside the corridor did Ace notice them missing "hey wait for me" he yelled and followed them, the rest of the panicked pirates just stood there with confused expressions

The trio walked into the galley while Elisa bombarded Asuna with questions and Ace answered them resulting into the two arguing with each other, Asuna sighed once they entered the room and all eyes were shifted towards them, and she felt uncomfortable with the attention around her and poked Ace on the shoulder, he turned around to see what his fiancée wants and she pointed towards the crowd looking at them "oh good morning everyone" he greeted

"Ace-taichō don't you have to be somewhere" a random pirate asked as he looked up from his plate, Ace looked at him confused by what that man meant "you know today is the last day of the games and it is 10.30" the man continued, Ace let out a little chuckle "I'm not participating today we have a patient" he pointed to Asuna who puffed her cheeks and looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Ace take Asuna to a seat in the corner and I will come back with food, under no circumstances can she eat any of the junk here got it" Elisa looked at Ace with a look that said '_if you disobey me you are dead'_. Ace looked at her and nodded "let's go" he said and pulled Asuna with him to the corner, some of the crewmembers eyed them as they noticed that they were holding each other's hands. They sat at a the far end of the commanders table, Ace got himself three plates full of meat and started eating on it leaving poor Asuna to look at him trying hard not to drool on the food, fed up of watching Ace gobble down the meat she pulled out her light pen and wrote in the air '_ACE I WANT SOME OF THIS MEAT IT'S NOT FAIR I AM HUNGRY_' and pouted, most of the pirates in the galley looked at her with sorry eyes as they found it utter most cute. "Elisa-chan said no that means no, she will make some special food for you so you have to wait" he replied to her which made Asuna to fold her arms and puffed her cheeks sitting on the chair with a grumpy expression '_cute_' the people in the galley yelled in their minds, Ace had it hard to fight against that look '_n-no not those expressions anything but them, stop killing me with those faces'_ he yelled in the back of his mind and focused on eating his meat.

"If she as much as ate one bite of meat you are dead Ace" Elisa growled as she approached the two with a tray full of cold food, she placed the tray in front of Asuna "cold vegetable soup, fruit salad cut into small pieces, vanilla milkshake, some chocolate & cheesecake don't worry its soft" Asuna's eyes sparkled at the words milkshake and cake, she pulled her pen out and wrote in the air: _THANK YOU, IN YOUR FACE ACE I HAVE BETTER FOOD THAN YOU. _She poked her tongue out at Ace and picked up her soup drowning it in an instant then proceeded into eating her fruit salad, Ace looked at her shake and cake wanting to take some but Asuna gave him the cold look and took a bite of cheesecake teasing him, Ace looked at her cutting the chocolate cake with pained eyes.

"Just one bite" Ace begged after breaking down "a teeny weeny bite" Asuna sighed before cutting a small lump and put the fork in front of his face with one hand under it so the small crumps will fall on her palm, Ace felt embarrassed that he is being fed in front of the people in the galley who looked at the scene before them with unbelievable eyes, but nonetheless he took the bite from her hand. Asuna smiled and continued eating the cake from the same fork that Ace ate from, the rest of the crew had their eyes pop out in shock of what they saw, ignoring them Asuna finished her cake and drank her milkshake, as the cup was now almost empty Asuna saw Ace and gave him a sly smirk, she waved the cup in front of his face with one hand while the other wrote: _IF YOU WANT IT COME AND GET IT. _Ace looked at her suspiciously and tried to grab the shake but Asuna moved it to the side and waved it again, having an idea of what is going on he tried to grab it again but Asuna once again moved the cup and giggled "Asuna" Ace said looking at her trying to hide the smirk, the girl poked her tongue before making a dash to the other end of the table "now you are just playing" he smirked and jumped towards her, however what he didn't expect is that she can use haki, punching him lightly in the face "sorry" she muttered before giggling and running around the galley teasing him using the shake.

"Tag huh" Ace grinned before running after her, in the process of chasing each other they crashed some tables and chairs, spilled food over the place, got some pirates having their breakfast angry. They were now separated by a table in the middle of the room, trying to outsmart the other but they just stood there facing each other, Ace smirked and stood over the table however he failed to notice the spilled drink and slipped, Asuna just stood there watching Ace slip and falling towards her, she let out a gasp of surprise before their heads banged each other and they fell to the ground, to avoid anymore damage Ace placed one hand behind Asuna's head to lessen the impact and used the other to support his weight from her. Upon impact the entire galley looked at them with wide popped out eyes, some of them gasped at the scene before them; their faces an inch apart, Ace stared into her emerald orbs trying to fight the urge of kissing her in that instant, while Asuna looked into his onyx eyes mesmerized by their blackness forgetting the spilled drink in her hand and the man above her or the blush adorning her cheeks.

"Gyahhh Asuna-chwan" a random crew member cried thus snapping the two out of their fantasy, Ace quickly pushed himself of and helped Asuna sit up straight, she rubbed her forehead trying to ease the throbbing pain "Ace you idiot" Elisa yelled as she punched him in the head "this could probably worsen her amnesia and regression"

"Amnesia" the rest of the crew shouted now understanding Asuna's weird and childish behavior not to mention that she is getting along with Ace. Asuna looked at them and nodded slowly, she looked at her wet hand and frowned _'what was that weird feeling in my stomach just now'_ she thought. "Are you okay?" Elisa asked as she handed her a handkerchief to wipe the shake from her hand, Asuna looked at her and nodded though she was uncertain about that feeling she had earlier. She tried to get up but Ace held her hand while the other supported her back and tried to help her up, once she was up she pulled her hand away and tried to push down the redness creeping up her neck, Asuna turned around and looked at her hand before resting it on her chest '_there it is again, why did I feel funny when he touched me' _she thought

"Oi Ace look now Asuna-chan is troubled" a crew membered yelled at the commander, the said pirate walked over to look at her and noticed her troubled look trying to figure out what was bothering her, slowly a mob of whitebeard pirates came around Asuna trying to figure out what is bothering her "give her some space" Elisa ordered pushing the men away from the girl in shock. "Hey Asuna are you okay" Ace asked as he waved his hand in front of her face, no response she just stood there staring at nothing like a statue, growing worried Ace held her arms and gave them a light squeeze "Asuna say something". No response again, Elisa looked at her with worry what could have possibly made the girl freeze, Ace slowly shock her but still he received no response what so ever from the girl. "Asuna what's wrong" Elisa asked her voice getting louder and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, the tension in the room increased as the crowd grew worried, she was frozen for more than a minute.

"Ahhhhh" Asuna screamed shaking the entire room as she fell to her knees and clutched her upper arms tightly squeezing the muscles as a river of tears flooded her eyes, her body shivering in fear, her eyes reflecting pain and sorrow. "What's wrong" Ace asked worriedly and crouch down and rested his hand on Asuna's shoulder trying to comfort her, she lifted her head and looked up at Ace and saw the worry in his eyes, instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck sobbing hardly. Being an expert at comforting people since Luffy, Ace rested a hand on her head while the other stroked her back "it's going to be alright" he softly said. "Ace get her to the infirmary, it has to do with her amnesia she might've remembered something" Elisa ordered, "o-okay" he answered hesitantly as he moved the hand resting on her head to her back and moved the other hand to under her knees, he stood up carrying her bridal style and followed Elisa to the sickbay. The people in the galley watching had their eyes pop out of their skulls for the third time today, they knew Ace had a gentle side but it was the first time to see it but what shook them was how he treated Asuna, some wanted to bite their own tongues because of jealousy and envy but right now is Asuna's sudden breakdown is what mattered when she was perfectly having fun a second ago.


	42. Second day of amnesia III

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 40: second day of amnesia III**

"Put her one the bed and don't leave her side" Elisa ordered as she opened the door of the sickbay, she ran to some cupboard and pulled out a sphygmometer. Ace did as he was told and placed Asuna on the side of the bed, but she refused to let go of his neck, sighing he pulled her back up and sat next to her resting his head above hers and had his hand around her shoulder caressing her arm "shhh…it's going to be alright" he kept reassuring her softly.

Elisa walked to the two on the bed with the sphygmometer in her hands, she placed it on the table next to the bed, and pulled the strap from where it was resting "Asuna can you please give me your arm I need to measure your blood pressure" she asked, the said girl looked at her from the corner of her eye before tightening her grip onto Ace's neck. "Oww" Ace hissed in pain from the grip causing Asuna to loosen her grip and look up, feeling guilty for making his fiancée worry even though she is in a fragile state he stroked his thumb against her wet and red cheeks "it doesn't hurt" he reassured her "just give her you arm and let her measure your pressure"

Asuna looked at Elisa before releasing her grip from Ace's neck and stretching her left arm while the other hand was held tightly by Ace. Elisa slowly and gently place the strap around Asuna's left upper arm "if it hurts just tell me and I will stop" she said and started pumping air in the strap, once the strap was filled with air Elisa took note of the levels before releasing the air out of it "her blood pressure is high" she muttered as she removed the strap.

Asuna was left gasping for air after finally calming down but the tears kept falling down again, her breathing was uneven as hiccups escaped her mouth, every time Ace would wipe out the tears she would bite her lip to the extent a new cut was formed sprouting blood. She was now lying on the bed with her head resting on Ace's lap as he ran his fingers through her loose hair, curled up she closed her eyes in attempt to make everything disappear.

"Asuna breathe slowly" Elisa instructed as she closed a cupboard and opened another pulling a syringe and a bottle of zolpidem "do you want a sedative" she asked, Asuna opened her eyes and looked at Elisa before nodding. Dipping the needle of the syringe in the bottle and pulling a certain dose, Elisa closed the cap of the bottle and walked to Asuna, she kneeled down so she was at eye level with her. "It might sting a bit" she said as she injected the needle in Asuna's arm pumping the drug into her system. Asuna winced at the feel of the drug entering her body but got used to it, slowly her body began to feel numb and her vision blurred "Ace" she muttered, the said man slightly moved shifting her so she was sleeping on the bed properly and covered her with blankets, she looked at him with lidded eyes and held his hand seeking protection, noticing her fear-stricken behavior Ace kneeled down and kissed her forehead before sitting on the edge of the bed looking as she slowly drifted to sleep for the next several hours.

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"She is sleeping here" Marco said as he pushed the door open, behind him were Izo, Haruta, Jozu and Vista. Apparently the commanders have detailed knowledge of Asuna's state and so several commanders decided to check up on her and try to cheer her up since she woke up clinging to Ace the entire time and not opening up to anyone else. However they all came to halt once they entered the sickbay Marco trying not to snicker, the couple were both asleep soundly their hands interlocked, the commanders guessed that Ace's narcolepsy had kicked in as his head was resting on Asuna's stomach and his legs were dangling from the bed which meant that he was sitting next to her on the edge. "They would make a cute couple, how unfortunate that Ace is with someone else" Haruta commented and cupped her cheeks, Marco and Jozu each bit down a snort while Vista and Izo nodded in agreement.

To their luck Ace opened his eyes slowly and sat up straight rubbing them with one hand while the other was still interlocked with Asuna's. He looked at the commanders staring at them "what are guys doing here" he asked casually.

"The games are over" the blonde commander replied lazily as he eyed the interlocked hands

"You know Ace, you two make a great couple, it's a shame you've got someone else" Haruta stated with a smile. Ace having just woke up his brain wasn't functioning well "what are you talking about, of course we look good together" he replied unconsciously. Haruta looked at him as her jaw dropped to the ground, "what" Izo exclaimed slightly shocked and Vista who had no clue to what the two were freaking about just smiled. "S-she is the one" Haruta stuttered as she pointed a shaky hand at Asuna's sleeping figure. Registering what he just said Ace gasped "ah you guys weren't supposed to know that" he stated, no longer able to hold it in Marco laughed and pointed at Haruta "you guys are slow at noticing things"

Haruta was now steaming red of embarrassment along with Izo, they were ready to snap at him but the muffling of the blankets followed with a cough stopped them. Ace turned his head to look at Asuna, she had turned to the other side and released her hold on his hand, what caught the commanders attention was her grip on her stomach as she curled and her pained expression. "Marco go get Eli-chan tell her it is important" Haruta ordered as she ran towards Asuna, Marco could only nod and run out of the sickbay, while Jozu and Vista each sighed before taking a leave.

"Asuna what's wrong, where does it hurt" Ace asked panic evident in his tone as he leaned towards her, holding her arm and caressing it lightly, a whimper escaped her lips as she clutched her stomach harder and curled into an even smaller circle. "Asuna-chan relax, if you relax it will be less painful" Haruta suggested, Izo having a clue of what is hurting her went to prepare a hot bag for her to put over her stomach.

Not long did they have to wait for Elisa to arrive, once she did she ordered everyone to leave the room including Ace, the second division commander refused to leave without protesting but he was arguing with Elisa-chan so his argument was obviously useless. "Elisa-chan I prepared a hot water bottle for her" Izo stated as Elisa closed the door, the nurse ran off to the blonde's side and watched her clutch her stomach in pain she thought of Izo's suggestion and placed the bottle over her stomach, slowly it proved right as Asuna began to calm down and started to relax, after a while she began sitting up straight holding the bottle over her stomach a teardrop at the corner of her eye.

"Where does it hurt" Elisa asked as she handed Asuna her air pen, the girl grabbed it slowly and started righting one the air:

_MY STOMACH IT'S LIKE MY ORGANS ARE GOING TO EXPLODE_

_AND MY THROAT I CANT BREATH PROPERLY I FEEL LIKE COUGHING_

"And when I put the hot bottle how did it feel"

_BETTER MY ORGANS START TO RELAX_

"I see, how about you lie down for a while and I will go look for some painkillers" Elisa suggested, Asuna nodded and watched Elisa retreat to the medicine room she looked at the door and her lips slightly twitched as she heard the conversation that the commanders were discussing, however her happiness didn't last long as she coughed once again but harder and blood filled her palm, she looked in horror at her palms before Elisa came by her side and wiped the blood away. '_I knew it, it's too good to be true, there is no way can a person recover that fast without having any side effects, she should have been in a coma for at least three days and even after that she should've stayed in bed and relax. But no she had to wake up earlier than expected and with a coma, then Ace goes and plays tag with her and ends up head butting her then she has a mental breakdown'_ Elisa thought as rubbed the younger pirate's back '_that's it the game of tag_'

A knock from the other side of the door snapped Elisa out of her thoughts, she walked over to the door with a scowl on her face, turning the door handle and opening it she was unexpectedly greeted by Dr. Nigera. "Dr. Nigera I didn't expect to see you" she greeted smiling. "Who is he" Ace asked popping out of nowhere, a vein appeared on Elisa's forehead as she grabbed a random utensil and threw it at Ace "get out of here, it's all your fault she is suffering now" she growled.

"What did I do?" Ace asked

"Well if you didn't go along with her and didn't play tag none of this would happen" she pointed a finger at Asuna, who stared at her confused however her grip on the hot bottle tightened as she saw Dr. Nigera standing at the door.

"What exactly happened I have been told she was suffering from an amnesia" Dr. Nigera asked as he looked at Asuna, her eyes were cold as she glared at him, it seemed as if she isn't trusting him and would attack him any second.

"Well she woke up able to mutter some words and she could walk unlike last night, she was eating then she dragged me into playing a game of tag with her as we played I slipped and head butted her" Ace began explaining and looked at Asuna with a slightly guilty look "after that she stood up and stayed frozen for a while, then she suddenly had a mental breakdown and when we got her here she was exhausted and she fell asleep, then I went to sleep as well but after I woke up by a minute or two she started clutching her stomach and coughing"

"That is because you were sleeping on her stomach" Haruta commented as she popped up just like Ace did, Elisa looked at the two commanders with a questioning look as she place a hand on her hips and tapped her foot. "It's not like I actually meant it, I just feel asleep" Ace defended, however Elisa got an idea of the sudden reaction.

"Since when were you asleep" she asked

"Um after she slept by a while"

"Now it makes sense" Elisa states as she faces Asuna, the blonde looked at her with questioning eyes "when Ace was sleeping on your stomach he was unconsciously radiating heat that's why you didn't feel any pain but when he woke up the heat stopped and your stomach began hurting you"

"The main question is why is her stomach hurting her" Ace scratched his head

"If the heat helps ease the pain then it's most likely due to her organs being cold, it was a mistake feeding her cold food" Elisa explained "though it was good for her throat it didn't do good for her stomach"

"Well it's been almost 24 hours since the treatment and Asuna no longer need to suffer, she can have the recovery pill and in a day or two she would be extremely healthy but until then make sure she get her food through IV" Dr. Nigera stated as he placed his suitcase on the table and pulled the box of pills, Ace looked at them with caution as he never saw them while Asuna looked at them as if they were familiar, noticing her expression the doctor let out a low chuckle "they are magic pills you brought them for me"

"I heard those magic pills increase your healing rate by 10 so just like doc said in a day or two you will be jumping around" Elisa reassured the younger pirate. Asuna grabbed her air pen and wrote in the air: _I KNOW WHAT RECOVERY PILLS ARE I USED TO TAKE THEM EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN I USED TO TRAIN WITH MILES-SAN AND I USED TO RECOVER IN HALF A DAY. _

She gave them a smug smile but still held her cautiousness against the two new guests, a few giggles escaped the brunette girl's lip "she got you two" Haruta commented as she pointed at the two doctors, Ace tried his best not laugh like his fellow commander however his lips did curve up into a smile. After the writing faded away Asuna wrote once again: _I MAY HAVE AMNESIA BUT I AM NOT STUPID I KNOW MAGICAL ITEMS WHEN I SEE THEM._

Ace no longer able to hold it clutched his stomach as he fell into a fit of laughter, Haruta also fell into a fit "you're interesting how come we never knew that side of you" she asked, Asuna looked at her with a confused expression, the brunette realizing she shouldn't have said something, passed it of "I barely talk to you that's why I found it interesting"

Asuna smiled at the shorter female however her mind was preoccupied with what Haruta has just said, her attention was shifted elsewhere when Elisa placed the pills in a bag of IV and pulled out a needle "it's going to sting slightly but you have to sit until the medicine goes into your system, also the drips will provide vitamins and nutrients for you" the head nurse explained.

Asuna sighed and nodded, she pulled the air pen and wrote in the air: _AFTER YOU INJECT ME CAN I BE ALONE FOR A WHILE_

The three whitebeard pirates and the red haired pirates doctor looked at each other confused "if that's what you want" Elisa replied, a smiled etched the younger female's face as she extend her arm forward, Ace was about to protest but if that was what Asuna wants then he has to follow, he sighed and walked towards her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well I will see you later" Haruta waved as she left the infirmary

Asuna couldn't feel the needle being injected into her hands as she was busy looking at Ace, for unknown reason her heart was beating faster, heat rose up her face and she felt like crying, bringing her knees up towards her she used her spare hand to hug her leg as she rested her chin on her knees. "You can have all the time you want but if there is anything you can always come to me" Ace smiled as he stroked his thumb against her red cheeks, Asuna shook the hand off and buried her face completely, taken aback by the action a frown decorated the freckled teens face as his hand returned to his side. "Sorry" she croaked as she lifted her head back up, Ace could see her cheeks tinged with red and a sole teardrop running down her cheeks as she bit her lip.

"It's okay" he reassured her with a sad smile as he stood up "then I will see you later, but by then I want you to be happy full of energy" Asuna looked at him as a smile crossed her face, she nodded hastily and her knees slid back down. Ace leaned down and lightly kissed her cheeks before giving her one last smile and leaving, Asuna just sat there her ears red from embarrassment.

"If there is anything I will be close by" Dr. Nigera excused himself and left. Asuna and Elisa where the only ones left in the room "you sure about it being alone" Elisa asked in worried tone, Asuna nodded at her with a smile "I will check up on you every hour okay, well bye". As Elisa was turning around Asuna grabbed her hand "wait" Asuna said in a bit higher tone, Elisa turned around to face the younger pirate, determination in her eyes "wait" she spoke again in a much clearer tone. Elisa smiled knowing the medicine is working and realizing what the girl wants "so what is it that you want to talk about" she asked as she took a seat in front of Asuna.


	43. The day Asuna died

**A/N: hey guys i had this chapter planned to be posted early today as soon as i finish the next chapter and once i started proof reading this i noticed that there was a paragraph missing, i almost cried and tried my best to remember what i last wrote and in the end i managed to do it, though its similar to how it was so enjoy**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 41: The day Asuna died**

_Elisa smiled knowing the medicine is working and realizing what the girl wants "so what is it that you want to talk about" she asked as she took a seat in front of Asuna._

Asuna took in a deep breath before writing in the air: _I REMEMBERED SOMETHING ABOUT MY PAST IT IS WHEN I WAS 12_.

"Is that why you screamed earlier" Elisa asked curious of what the girl remembered, the goldenrod haired pirate nodded as a sad smile adorned her face '_that smile is hiding a lot of pain_' Elisa thought as she watched the girl write again: _AUGUST 28, 1514 AOP – I DIED_

"You what" Elisa muttered shocked at what she had just read, how could a person die and be sitting right there, she held the girl's free hand and squeezed it in her own, she read as the girl wrote next: _I KNOW IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE EVEN BACK THEN I THOUGHT I DIED BUT SOMEHOW A MIRACLE BROUGHT ME BACK TO LIFE AND THE SCAR ABOVE MY BROW IS PROOF OF IT_

"Just what happened to you on that day" Elisa asked trying to understand what happened to Asuna, what was her childhood like and why did it have so much pain. _IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG STORY,_ Asuna wrote, "It's alright take all the time I will listen to you"

Taking it as her queue Asuna began to write what happened to her on that day: _I TOLD YOU YESTERDAY I WAS FROM MAGI, IT IS A INDEPENDENT COUNTRY THAT LIES ON THE WEST CALM BELT, AND THEY SPECIALIZE IN MAGIC AND WITCH CRAFT. I WAS BORN IN AN ISLAND SOMEWHERE IN WEST BLUE BUT THEN I WAS MOVED TO MAGI IMMEDIATELY, THERE A WOMAN NAMED MILES-SAN TAUGHT ME EVERYTHING AND RAISED ME. MAGI IS DIVIDED INTO 5 STATES:_ THEMAINLAND, LA ROCA QUEMA, LA MONTA, LA OSCURAS TIERRAS, AND LA CAMA HADAS. _I USED TO LIVE BETWEEN THE BORDERS OF _LA MONTA, LA OSCURAS TIERRAS AND LA CAMA HADAS._ A FEW YEARS BEFORE I WAS BORN THERE WAS A CIVIL WAR WITH _LA OSCURAS TIERRAS _AND IT'S NEIGHBOURING STATES, BUT IT WAS SOLVED BY THE TIME I WAS BORN, LIVING IN THE BORDER THINGS WERE NOT STABLE YET_

"Are you telling me you lived in the after effects of a war" Elisa asked as she took in the first part, Asuna sighed and nodded her smile still not leaving her face, after having Elisa absorb all of the information she continued: _I LIVED AND TRAINED MAINLY IN LA MONTA SO FAR, ONE DAY I HAD A MISSION IN LA OSCURAS TIERRAS, I HAD COMPLETED MY MISSION AND MADE IT BACK UNTIL I WAS STOPPED AT THE BORDER BY THE _MOSIUR _FAMILY, THEY TRIED TO ASSASSINATE ME BUT I MANAGED TO ESCAPE AND REACH THE BORDERS OF _LA MONTA._ EVEN THEN THEHY WERE FOLLOWING ME, THEY HAD A DRAGON-SERPANT LIKE CREATURE CALLED DRAKONS, I TRIED TO FIGHT IT BUT IT JUST KILLED ME BY A SWING OF IT'S HAND, I FLEW A REALLY LONG DISTANCE, HAD SEVERAL ORGANS TAKEN OUT OF ME, AND LOST SEVERAL LIMBS_

"Wait if you lost several organs and limbs how come you are alive now" Elisa asked interrupting Asuna; she knew that Asuna wasn't telling her the whole truth and was hiding part of it. _I'M GETTING TO THAT PART YOU SAID YOU WILL LISTEN_, Asuna wrote slightly frustrated at Elisa's interruptions "sorry continue"

_AS I SAID I FLEW A REALLY LONG DISTANCE, DURING THAT TIME I HAD LOST CONSCIOUS AND BY THE TIME I WOKE UP A MONTH HAD PASSED, I WAS IN A VILLAGE IN _LA CAMA HADAS _CALLED_ FLORES_. MY ORGANS WERE BACK AS WELL AS MY LIMBS, WHEN I ASKED THEM WHAT HAPPENED THEY SAID A LITTLE GIRL FOUND ME DEAD AND BROUGHT ME TO THEM, THERE THEY HAD A REVERSE MAGE, SHE REVERSED TIME AROUND ME SO THAT MY BODY DIDN'T EXPERIENCE ANY OF THAT AND THAT I DIDN'T DIE BUT I WAS IN A COMA AND THE SCAR ON MY BROW WAS THE ONLY THING SHE COULDN'T REVERSE SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT IT HAVING STRONG MAGIC AND SELF INFLICTED._

"Self inflicted?" Elisa asked

_YES SELF INFLICTED IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN I WAS FIGHTING OFF THE DRAKONS I ACCIDENTALLY HIT MYSELF WITH MY OWN MAGIC, AND THAT'S THIS SCAR. _Asuna wrote pointing at her scar with a proud smile

"Now I see, so what did you do after that"

_AFTER THAT I TRIED TO THANK THE VILLAGERS SOME WHERE HAPPY AND OTHERS WANTED ME TO GET LOST WHICH I DID AFTER TWO WEEKS, I HAD TO RECOVER MY ENERGY BUT I NEVER EXPECTED PEOPLE TO BE FRIENDLY WITH ME SPECIALLY THOSE FROM _LA CAMA HADAS_, THEN I HEADED BACK HOME AND MILES-SAN WAS ANGRY AND WORRIED SICK ABOUT ME SAYING SHE DIDN'T HEAR FROM ME FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS AND THOUGHT I WAS DEAD, SINCE THERE WAS A RUMOUR ABOUT ME GETTING KILLED, SKYE-NEE-CHAN KEPT ON CRYING FOR DAYS AND DIDN'T LEAVE MY SIDE, THEN I GOT INTO A FIGHT WITH MILES-SAN AND RAN BACK TO THE VILLAGE THAT SAVED ME_

"Asuna-chan can I say something" Elisa interrupted; the young pirate looked at the older and nodded "you are hiding something from me, there is more to this incident and if you please share it with me". Asuna looked at Elisa in shock how did the nurse figure out that she was hiding part of the truth, the part that hurt Asuna badly, looking down and remembering the incident a lone tear escaped her emerald eyes "sorry" she whispered as another tear fell. "It's alright, it's just that not knowing the full truth I cant help you" Elisa apologized as she pulled Asuna into an embrace, pushing back with a new resolve Asuna wrote the full story

_I SHOULD START WITH THE CIVIL WAR, YOU SEE LOVE BETWEEN PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT STATES IS RARE AND ONLY 10% CAN MAKE IT, MY GRANDPARENTS WERE OF THEM ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE, MY GRANDMOTHER WAS AN ANGEL AND MY GRANDFATHER WAS A DEMON. THAT'S HOW PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT STATES ARE CALLED; _THE MAINLANDS _ARE PURES, _LA ROCA QUEMA _ARE SALAMANDERS, _LA MONTA _ARE HIKERS, _LA OSCURAS TIERRAS _ARE DEMONS AND _LA CAMA HADAS_ ARE ANGELS. YOU SEE MY MOTHER INHERITED THE ANGELS LOOKS WHICH ARE BLONDE, GOLDEN, WHITE OR ORANGE HAIR YOU KNOW LIGHT COLORS AND MY GRANDFATHER DIDN'T REALLY MIND, NEITHER MY GRANDMOTHER SHE DIDN'T MIND THAT MY MUM USED DEMON'S MAGIC WHICH REVOLVES AROUND DARKNESS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WHAT GOT THEM ANGRY WAS THE WAY MY MOTHER WAS RAISED, SOON ENOUGH THEY STARTED ARGUING AND ORDERED A DIVORCE, TORN APART MY MOTHER HAD ENOUGH OF IT, SHE WAS A CHILD BACK THEN BUT SHE KNEW BETTER AND SO SHE KILLED THEM BOTH BEFORE FLEEING_

_BOTH STATES GOT ANGRY AND BLAMED THE OTHER FOR RAISING THE GIRL THEN CLOSE FRIENDS OF MY GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER STARTED FIGHTING EACH OTHER SOON ENOUGH IT BECAME A CIVIL WAR, AFTER A YEAR OF FIGHTING BOTH STATES CAME TO THE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION OF KILLING MY MOTHER, ONCE THEY FOUND HER HIDING IN _LA MONTA_ THEY MOVED TO THE STATE AND THEN IT_ _GOT CAUGHT INTO THE WAR AS WELL, HALF A YEAR LATER MY MOTHER GOT ANGRY BECAUSE IT WAS THE DEMONS WHO ATTACKED THE ANGELS FIRST, THEN FOR ATTACKING THE INNOCENT HIKERS SHE KILLED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, TRYING TO BRING THE WAR TO A STOP, TWO YEARS AFTER THAT THE KING ORDERED A CEASE FIRE CONTRACT BETWEEN ALL THREE STATES AND HE TALKED TO MY MOTHER, SHE STAYED IN THE CASTLE FOR ONE YEAR BEFORE GETTING EXILED. IN TOTAL THE WAR LASTED 5 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS_

"So the people wanted to kill you because of your mother?" Elisa asked, Asuna sighed and nodded curling her free hand to a ball tightly while the other gripped the air pen with more force

_THE KING KNEW ABOUT ME WHEN I WAS BORN AND SUPPORTED MY NEEDS FOR MY FIRST FEW YEARS, BECAUSE OF MY MOTHER PEOPLE FROM ALL THREE STATES STARTED CALLING ME THE OFFSPRING OF EVIL, OR A DEVIL, NO ONE WANTED TO APPROACH ME AND IF ANYONE DID THEY WOULD TRY TO KILL ME AND IT DIDN'T HELP WITH MY MAGIC BUT MILES-SAN WOULD PROTECT ME AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO GET MY BLOOD DIRTY, I GREW UP PRETTY MUCH ALONE WITH MILES-SAN AND HER DAUGHTER SKYE AND THEN WHEN I WAS 9 I MET OJI-NII-SAMA, WELL MILES-SAN WAS INSTRUCTED INTO TRAINING HIM WITH HIS CONTROL BUT SOMEHOW HE ENDED LIVING WITH US FOR 3 YEARS._

"Sorry to interrupt once again but can I ask you a question" Elisa asked, the golden haired girl puffed her cheeks fed up with the many interruptions but nodded knowing she can't continue if Elisa had no clue what she was talking about "I was wondering who is this Miles-san exactly, also who is oji-nii-sama"

_OH YEAH I DIDN'T TELL YOU ABOUT IT, MILES-SAN IS ONE OF THE 12 ROYAL KNIGHT'S THEY ARE MAGI'S STRONGEST MAGES AND ONLY FOLLOW ORDERS DIRECTLY FROM THE KING, BEFORE MY MOTHER GOT EXILED SHE LIVED IN THE CASTLE FOR ONE YEAR UNDER THE ORDER OF THE KING AND MILES-SAN WHO WAS IN HER MID-20'S WAS APPOINTED AS HER GUARD, EVENTUALLY WHEN THE TIME CAME THE KING ORDERED MILES-SAN TO ACCOMPANY MY MOTHER TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND KEEP HER IN CHECK EVEN THOUGH IT MEANT THAT SHE WAS GOING TO ABANDON HER NEWBORN, SHE WAS LIKE MY MOTHER'S GUARDIAN AND WHEN I WAS BORN MILES-SAN TOOK ME IN. THE FIRST THING MILES-SAN DID WAS INFORM THE KING OF WHAT MY MOTHER DID IN THE OUTSIDE WORLD WHICH WAS PRETTY MUCH NOTHING BUT WONDERING AROUND ISLANDS AND FALLING IN LOVE WITH A PIRATE AND DIED WHILE GIVING BIRTH TO ME_

_THE KING DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO THINK TO ORDER A PLACE FOR ME TO LIVE AND HAVE A BUDGET FOR MY NEEDS, THEN ANOTHER OF THE 12 KNIGHTS SUGGESTED THAT I SHOULD RECEIVE MAGICAL TRAINING SO I CAN BE OF USE FOR THE KINGDOM AND ERASE WHAT MY MOTHER DID, AND SO MILES-SAN WAS TO TAKE CARE OF ME AND TEACH ME HOW TO SURVIVE, I LIVED WITH HER AND HER DAUGHTER SKYE, THEY WERE FULL BLOODED HIKERS SO IT WAS HARD TO TEACH ME MY MAGIC BUT AFTER A WHILE SHE FOUND A WAY AND A PERSON WHO SPECIALISES IN MY FIELD. WHEN I WAS 9 THE KING GOT FED UP WITH HIS LAZY SON AND SENT HIM TO US IN THE MOUNTAINS, LYLE-NII-SAMA WAS INDEED A LAZY ASS AND COULDN'T CONTROL HIS MAGIC WELL, HE STAYED WITH US FOR 3 YEARS AND LEFT BEFORE THAT INCIDENT, WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT IT I HEARD HE WAS SAD AS WELL BUT WHEN I CAME BACK HE BEGAN ACTING A LITTLE DIFFERENT I DON'T KNOW WHY._

Asuna let out a deep breath and massaged her palm from writing paragraphs of her life so far, Elisa noticing what Asuna is doing took her hand and started massaging it "why don't we take a break and see how you are doing" Asuna looked at Elisa and nodded "so it's around lunch time and the guys I think are having a party up there, don't worry I will get you something to eat"

"It's okay" Asuna croaked yet her voice wasn't dry as it was in the morning

"So let me pull things together, you are a third angel, third demon, and third normal human since your father isn't from magi" Elisa started, the young pirate nodded "you lived in the border of three states mainly in the mountains of _La Monta_, your mother was born in a village named _Flores_ and it was the village that saved you from the attack that the _Mosuir_ family had against you and it killed you, there was this woman who brought you back to life"

"Yup"

"You said something about when you returned you got into a fight with Mrs. Miles and running away back to that village what happened"

Pulling her hand away Asuna returned back to writing: _IN THAT VILLAGE THEY TOLD ME THAT I LOOK A LOT LIKE MY MOTHER AND THEY TOLD ME ABOUT HER AS A CHILD, BEFORE WHAT HAPPENED TO HER AND HER GETTING EXILED, THEY TOLD ME THAT MY MOTHER HAD THE LOOKS OF ANGELS AND THE MAGIC OF DEMONS. WHEN I RETURNED I ASKED MILES-SAN WHY SHE DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT MY MOTHER OTHER THAN HER NAME, SHE GOT ANGRY AND HIT ME SAYING THAT I SHOULD NEVER ASK ABOUT SUCH THING. I GOT MAD AND LEFT, I STAYED IN _FLORES _FOR TWO MONTHS BEFORE MILES-SAN CAME AND TOOK ME BACK. DURING MY STAY NOT MANY WANTED TO BE MY FRIENDS MOSTLY PEOPLE WOULD ASK THEIR KIDS TO STAY AWAY FROM ME, I LIVED WITH THE VILLAGE ELDER AND ASKED HER ABOUT MY MOTHER, WHEN SHE WAS EXILED SHE WAS YET TO BE 15 AND WHEN THE WAR STARTED SHE WAS AROUND 9 OR 10 SO SHE COULDN'T TELL ME MUCH ABOUT HER OTHER THAN HER MISCHIEVOUS SIDE._

_WHEN IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE I GAVE EVERYONE THEIR GOODBYES AND TOLD THEM THAT I WOULD LEAVE THIS COUNTRY AT AROUND THE AGE MY MOTHER WAS EXILED BUT THEY LAUGHED AT ME, HOWEVER THERE WAS THIS KID HE WAS A YEAR OLDER THAN ME, HE GAVE ME A FLOWER AND TOLD ME TO FOLLOW MY DREAMS AND KISSED ME ON MY CHEEKS, THEN HE RAN AWAY. AT THAT TIME THERE WERE LIKE BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH AND MY FACE FELT HOT AND I FROZE IN MY PLACE, JUST LIKE EARLIER WHEN ACE FELL ON TOP OF ME I FELT THOSE SAME BUTTERFLIES BUT THEY WERE STRONGER AND I COMPLETELY FROZE, AND WHEN HE TOUCHED ME IT WAS LIKE I WAS GETTING ELECTRICALLY SHOCKED, WHY?_

Elisa looked at Asuna with a smile "now I see, that feeling is called love, it seems that when Ace fell on top of you it triggered that memory" she paused and took a deep breath "to be honest I only learned about your relationship with Ace a few days ago, but when he brought you on the verge of death he was desperate and willing to do the impossible so you can survive, recently we lost an important nakama, Ace and Thatch were close friends and when we found his body, Ace was hurt badly, can you heal that scar" Elisa rested her hand on Asuna's chest where her heart should be.

_I HATE IT, THIS FEELING_

"At first you do but then it will become normal"

_WHAT IS LOVE LIKE, I MEAN THE ONE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN WHEN I ASK ABOUT IT THEY TELL ME I AM TOO YOUNG TO ASK ABOUT SUCH THINGS_

"Well usually people ask about such things when they hit puberty, you see love is when both sides share strong feeling of affection to the other…." And so Elisa began to describe what love is and puberty. Asuna seemed to be so into the conversation and didn't blush like most girls do, well it is her second time to hear such things given the fact that at this age she was practically shameless and didn't care.

_THEN THOSE OUTFITS IN MY STORAGE WE MEANT TO SEDUCE ACE_. She wrote in the air recalling what she saw in her lingerie section, Elisa tilted her head in confusion. _I LEFT MY STORAGE IN ACE'S ROOM I WILL SHOW YOU AND AT THE SAME TIME CHANGE MY OUTFIT, THIS SHIRT IS GETTING OLD_

"Okay but I have to warn you there are many guys up there partying and they might approach you so stay close by my side okay" Elisa stated as she hoped out of the bed and extend her arm, pushing off the blankets and the hot bag from her stomach Asuna held Elisa's arm and headed out to Ace's room

* * *

**LA ROCA QUEMA: the burning rocks**

**LA MONTA: the mountains**

**LA OSCURAS TIERRAS: the dark lands**

**LA CAMA HADAS: the fairies bed**

**FLORES: flowers**

**A/N: so yeah if you noticed as i said earlier that there is a paragraph missing so i had to re-write it which is the part where she explains that her mother is half angel half demon, if it is crappy and makes it hard to understand then i am sorry**


	44. he is mine'

**A/N: and i'm back with a new chapter, i had this chapter planned to be released two days ago but then i got lazy, anyways i ****don't want to waste your time so enjoy**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 42: _'he is mine'_**

On the deck of the Moby Dick every crewmember was there, they were drinking, laughing and partying their recent win with the loot of treasure worth 1 billion around them, everyone was enjoying the fun except one, the second division commander stood at the corner watching his brothers and sisters partying with a beer mug in his hands

"There you are, what are you doing alone in the corner" the first division commander, Marco approached his friend, Ace lifted his head from where he was looking at his mug

"Thinking" he replied casually as he pushed himself of the wall "and cherishing all this because I'm leaving after a week" lifting his mug he walked towards the party

"You're just going to leave her" Marco asked following Ace

"I don't know maybe I will take her with me for a while, I will search for her crew and drop her off there"

"Ace you crazy" Marco growled pulling Ace with him inside the corridors to speak in private, "Ace she has amnesia and pretty much doesn't remember a thing about life in the new world and you will take her with you to a dangerous mission"

"Then what I'm I suppose to do abandon her and leave not knowing how long I will take to comeback" Ace looked at the ground as he leaned on the wall "I cant Marco, leaving her alone in this state I just cant"

"Then when she completely recovers drop her off with her crew and leave, that way it will be much easier" Marco suggested "it's a win-win situation for everyone, you spend more time with the crew and Asuna, you are there when she recovers, no hearts will broken when you leave"

"I will think about it, by the end of the week I will have my answer but until then I want to spend time with her"

Unknown to them that Asuna who was coming with Elisa to their direction had heard the entire conversation, her lips curved into a sad smile knowing that Ace is having a difficult time to leave for some mission but he will have to leave her soon enough.

"Are you alright, if you don't want to we can stop" Elisa stated as she noticed Asuna's expression, the young pirate shook her head and wrote in the air: _I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING AND IT MADE ME HAPPY THAT'S ALL_

"If you say so"

Both women walked towards the door in silence each in their own thoughts, they walked until they approached the two commanders, greeting them Elisa whispered something to Marco that didn't go unnoticed by Asuna, walking away Asuna mouthed to Ace '_sorry_'. The fire fist seemed confused about it but remembered her reaction earlier and smiled, he watched as both women went towards the exit with Asuna looking back a few times.

"What is it this is your 5th time to turn around is there anything" Elisa asked, Asuna smiled and pulled out her air pen writing in the air: _I COULD LEND YOU SOMETHING TO IMPRESS MARCO TONIGHT_

Elisa's face immediately lit up from embarrassment "you little" she growled as Asuna laughed and started running, both commanders could hear her laugh and Elisa screaming at her. Pushing the door to the deck and greeting the sunlight Asuna squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the light while running away from Elisa, she swiftly made her way from between the crowd to Whitebeard's side landing on the floor and clutching her stomach from laughter.

"What's wrong brat" he asked looking at Asuna's form by his leg, the young girl took a deep breath before grinning widely and pointing to the direction where Elisa was approaching, Whitebeard lifted his head up to see his nurse steaming with embarrassment, "gurarara, kid what did you do to make my head nurse this much angry" he asked

"You little twerp I will teach you some manners" Elisa growled, as she stood in front of Asuna and Whitebeard, the young pirate crossed her legs and returned Elisa's glare. The entire crew stopped partying and started to watch the showdown between the two females. "Apologize and I will let it pass"

"I don't want to" Asuna poked her tongue out as her lips curved into a smirk, which slowly turned into a grin

"So what did you hear" Elisa tapped her legs on the floor and crossed her arms over her chest demanding an explanation

"Who knows" Asuna whistled in a provoking way, her voice was becoming less hoarse and dry by the minute meaning by the end of the night she would speak normally. Through the crowd the first two division commanders arrived to see what their girls were at, looking at the blonde commander Asuna gave him a sly smirk before looking at Elisa "shouldn't you get going" she asked Elisa as she looked at Marco.

"Ace" Elisa growled as she pulled the fire fist from his ear towards Asuna "you have till tonight to teach her manners like minding her own business" he looked in confusion at what his fiancée did, but received a mischievous smirk that he knew is up to no good, taking a seat in front of her and ignoring the crowd around him, he looked at her for a while before pulling one of her hands in his lap, stroking them

"So what did you say to make Elisa-chan this mad" he asked seriously

"Se-c-re-t" she winked, now curious he moved closer so their knees were touching each other and he pulled her other hand in his lap, the two interlocked into a staring contest neither backing down.

"Just tell me" he asked still holding his gaze, giving up Asuna sighed and gestured for him to get closer, leaning forward some of the crew members who were at the galley earlier watched cautiously as Asuna as well leaned forward and used her hands to cover her mouth "earlier when we passed by" she whispered

"Okay yeah I remember"

"Elisa told Marco in a seducing tone to come by at 9" she paused "and that she has a gift for him"

"Oh now I see" a smirk formed on Ace's lips, most of the crew members started wondering what she was telling him and they hoped it's not some sort of prank

"Then I told her that I could lend her some of my outfits" she smirked, Whitebeard, Elisa, Marco and those within arms length heard the smirk "she turned to a tomato"

Ace who didn't know how to react whether to laugh or scold her sat there with wide eyes, now those who noticed his reaction were curious as to what Asuna told him. Finally snapping out of it and without any second warning he flung Asuna over his shoulder much to her surprise and stood up, he walked towards Elisa and pulled her "this we need to discuss in private" he said as he walked towards the door to the commanders quarters.

"Let go, I said let go" Asuna argued as she started hitting his back with both of her fists but Ace was unmoved, once she noticed that she stopped fighting back "aghhh I give up" adorning a grumpy expression she folded her arms over her chest and let Ace carry her.

"Where are we going" Elisa had managed to push Ace off and walk beside him, she as well had a pissed expression, ignoring them Ace walked towards the shipwright asking him about Marco's room, which was now almost fixed and that Marco could use it by tonight.

Getting inside his room and putting Asuna on the bed while Elisa sat in the opposite corner Ace looked at the two girls from where he was standing by the door. "So Asuna do you have anything you want to say" he started looking at his fiancée, shaking her head she lied down on her stomach and watched Ace sigh

"Oh yeah wait" she jumped remembering something walking towards his desk and opening the drawer she pulled her storage showing it to Elisa with a smirk, Ace immediately ran over to Asuna and pulled the storage from her "no oh no you do not give her any of those outfits"

"Why not" she asked angry at the fact that Ace took her storage

"Because you vary in sizes and they wont fit her" he replies but notices the look in Asuna's face "not that I find a problem with it"

"You're not good with words" she smiled "or with lying"

"As a matter of fact I'm an excellent liar" he smiled back to her

"Okay this is going nowhere, I'm out of here and remember you have until tonight to have her-" Elisa interrupted the two

"No wait, look I apologize in her place she didn't mean it, just let it slide you know she isn't exactly herself that's the…." He paused not knowing how to continue, turning around to face Asuna "how old are you, you know the amnesia"

"12 and a half"

"That's the 12 year old talk, just let it slide and she promises not to tell anyone"

Elisa looked at Asuna for a while before unfolding her arms and sighing "fine if she promises to shut her mouth and not speak another word"

"I promise" Asuna replied without Ace telling her, frowning she walked to the bed and sat on it crossing her legs, she watched as Elisa smiled and was about to leave the room

"Then I will see you later" the nurse replied as she walked towards the door

"Oh yeah tell Marco that his room is fixed and he can use it by tonight, so if you guys ever think of trying something in my room just don't" Ace told her as she watched him unlock the door.

"It will reach him"

Closing the door behind her Ace walked to the bed where Asuna sat there frowning and looking at the floor, standing right in front of her he took one of her hands and placed her storage on her palm, holding it she retracted her hand back still not moving her gaze from the floor, growing worried from her sudden emotional change Ace sat on the floor in front of her where she was gazing. Now looking at him Asuna gave another sad face before turning her gaze to somewhere else.

"Asuna is everything alright" Ace asked worry apparent in his tone, he studied her expression carefully and noticed some pain in her eyes

"Are you mad at me" she suddenly asked now looking at him, her gaze fixed at his eyes, Ace could tell she was feeling guilty for what she did, shaking his head he looked at her trying to figure out what has gotten to her

"What makes you think I am mad?" he asked standing up and moving next to her, he cupped her face in his hands so he can look directly at her eyes

"I-" Asuna lowered her eyes so she wouldn't see Ace's face, taking a deep breath she held back some tears "when I was going to show Elisa you pulled the storage and got angry"

"Oh" Ace sat there wordless, it was about what he did about a minute ago, he knew he shouldn't got mad about it and he shouldn't even get all worked up but he did "look the reason I pulled it was because what's inside that is between you and me, it's like our thing if someone else saw or got what was inside then it wont be our thing"

"I see" she smiled and looked at Ace "then I'm sorry"

"Apology accepted" he smiled and kissed her forehead. Letting go of her face Ace stood up and extended his arm to her "let's go, if we stay too long the others will wonder what are we doing and you know they have dirty minds and all"

"First let me change" she said as she grabbed his hand, pulling her with a bit force she stumbled into him but Ace managed to catch her, wrapping her arms around his neck she hugged him tightly "thank you" she whispered

"Y-yeah" Ace stuttered not knowing what did he do but nonetheless he hugged her back and buried his face in her neck, kissing it lightly "I don't know why you thanked me but I'm just glad you did, you have no idea how worried I was when you got poisoned"

"Ace" she whispered his name softly, when the fire fist gave a humming sound she smiled "if I was demon would you still love me" she asked with a hint of worry, for some reason she felt like she kept her past a secret from everyone.

"You're not a demon, don't go saying that" he replied in his softest voice, and lifted his head pulling her so he can see her, cupping her face in one hand and stroking his thumb against his cheeks, he held her in place using his other hand that was on her waist "people can say whatever they want about you but I wont change my mind of how I feel, demon or not I will always love you"

Smiling a lone tear rolled down her right cheek as she looked at Ace's face, studying his features she lifted her hand right hand and caressed his cheek, regaining her feelings back for him she stood on her toes and kissed his jawline lightly before walking to the dressing room. Ace stood there surprised by her action, he thought that it would take time for her to return his feelings back but this was just unexpected, he felt her feelings in that kiss. In a few minutes Asuna came out of the dresser in a yellow mini-dress reaching slightly bellow her thighs and sleeves reaching slightly past her elbow, her dress also sported a hoodie with two strings around the neck to tighten the hood, she also wore black slip-ons, a black wristband and a white bracelet on her left wrist, she had her hair combed straight falling over her shoulders.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" she apologized as she approached Ace.

"It's alright besides you didn't take long" he replies as he strokes her hair, running his fingers through her golden hair he came to a halt and took out a lock from the front "mind if I" he asked as he stated braiding it, Asuna stayed silent until he finished and took out a rubber band to tie the braid from getting loose, he gently stroked the braid as he let it rest on her right shoulder "did I ever tell you how gorgeous you look"

Asuna shook her head "I don't remember" she said softly as she wrapped her hand around his waist and hugged him once again, smiling Ace wrapped his arms around her enveloping Asuna with his warmth "but I'm not that pretty like other girls"

Releasing his embrace Ace held her hand and took her to the closet, placing her in front of the mirror he stood behind her his hands on her shoulders "for the millionth time don't go saying that, imagine the person in the mirror is someone else what do you see?"

"A pretty young woman"

"Exactly a pretty young woman, every person is different in their own way so don't go comparing yourself to them, the thing is you are pretty in both looks and mind unlike most people"

"But" she cut him of and turned around so she can face Ace, looking at his eyes she somehow felt guilt "its just my hair and eyes nothing else is good looking about me, even my boobs are small" she said grabbing them showing him what she meant "most girls have big boobs and big-"

She was ultimately cut off by Ace who crashed his lips against hers, though he himself didn't know why he did it he just wanted to shut her up, pulling himself away Ace looked at her with guilt. Eyes wide in shock Asuna unconsciously lifted her hands up and slapped him hardly leaving a handprint on his cheek, once she lowered her hand did she notice what she did, her eyes widened in shock "sorry" she cried and walked into the room closing the door on the frozen Ace, leaning on it she slid to the ground bringing her knees up to her chest hugging them and burying her face.

'_Why did I just slap him, he was already pissed and now he must be angry_' Asuna thought as she hugged her legs harder '_stupid me, why now of all times do I forget who I am, this feeling I hate it' _she began to sniff as she failed to hold back the tears '_Elisa-chan is this how it feels to be in a fight with the one you love. I no longer can take any of this, some help me_'

Ace was snapped out of his shock by the sniffing of Asuna, he turned towards the door and rested a hand and his head on it guilt written all over his face '_what happened to me, I wasn't supposed to kiss her until she feels like it, she would never want to see my face again, fuck my luck_' he thought. Groaning he pushed himself from the door and punched the wall on the opposite side and let out a angry cry, creating a small dent in the wall and slightly satisfied he walked towards the door and sat on the ground leaning in the door with one knee up to his chest resting a arm on it and leaning his head on the door he let out a breath "Asuna are you there, if you are then I'm sorry"

He stayed quiet waiting for a response but he received none, sighing once again he looked at the ceiling of his closet "I didn't mean it I really didn't, it's just that I wanted you to stop comparing yourself, I know right now you are probably scared and wouldn't want to see me anytime soon that's why you can take all the time you want, I will sit here and wait, I will say it once again I'm sorry I really am"

Listening to every single word Asuna found herself confused not knowing what to do, it was the first time she heard Ace speak like that, sniffing once again though the tears were now completely dry she lifted her head and leaned it on the door, similarly to Ace she stared at the ceiling of his room "I" she began her voice hoarse from the crying "don't know anymore"

Locked in his own closet with guilt, happiness crossed Ace's face as he heard his golden haired fiancée finally speak, though he noticed the dryness in her tone and took note that she was crying, guilt flooded his skin once again he didn't care anymore he would do anything at this point to get her to forgive him, biting his lip from his guilt he though for a second "take all the time you need, like I said earlier I will be sitting inside this closet waiting for you to open the door and let me back into your life" he let out a low chuckle at the end

"So in other words" Asuna began and paused for a second "you… are a hostage" she chuckled, hearing her say that Ace laughed this time at his own stupidity

"Yes I'm a hostage" he sighed, "More like a prisoner"

"You really are an idiot aren't you" she spoke softly with a smile "my idiot" she stated unconsciously as she rested her chin on her forearm, though she doesn't remember anything, her feelings were slowly returning and she would say things not knowing why she said them. Ace behind the door smiled at what she called him and remembered the first time she claimed him as hers. It was yesterday on their first date she did officially '_and don't go picking on my Ace_' it was when Mrs. Grunt was saying about Ace being stupid and all, but she claimed him as hers many times long ago.

**Flashback**

There stood two pirates in the middle of the forest, facing each other with the intent to kill, one of them was a man in his thirties his captain's coat waving with the wind, the other was teen boy with freckles the string of his hat swinging left and right, around them were a group of pirates chanting for them to fight and in between the mob was a teenage girl with golden hair sitting on a tree branch leaning on the trunk with one leg brought up to her chest while the other was crossed, a bottle of sake in her hands.

"Fight, fight, fight" the crowd kept chanting, smirking the boy lit his hand on fire while the man pulled out his sword, Asuna noticed something with the man shifting her attention towards him she saw that he looked towards a certain direction in particular, looking at that side she saw a man with a shot gun.

'_Playing dirty_' she though as she stood up, giving the fight off one last look she jumped to another tree from behind the crowd and made her way to the sniper knocking him out just in time, opening his shot gun and pulling out the bullets did she realize something '_kairoseki bullet's now where did he get those_' standing up she walked towards the crowd and interrupted the fight by kicking the man hardly in the face knocking him a few steps back.

"Oi Asuna what are you doing" Ace yelled at her, throwing the bullets at the man and leaving one in her hands she faced Ace

"Kairoseki bullets, he was planning to shoot you with them" she stated handing him the bullet, upon contact Ace lost all strength and handed her the bullets.

"Smart little girl I didn't take account for you to find out" the man stood up wiping the blood from his nose and ran forward ready to attack Asuna, sighing she took a few steps forward and waited for him, raising his sword up in the air and swinging it down she stepped to the side and extended her leg forward tripping the man.

"You call yourself a swordsmen, what a shame" she stated as she took a sip of her sake, the man once again stood up and dashed towards Asuna swinging his sword around randomly only for her to dodge them with ease, feed up with him Asuna gathered a small amount of light into her palm and knocked the sword out of the mans hand breaking it in half during the process

"You bitch" he exclaimed as he pulled out a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at her head, but before he could pull the trigger a flame burned his hand causing him to drop the pistol, looking at Ace the man growled.

"I didn't ask for your help" Asuna stated lazily as she watched the man crouch in pain, through her haki she saw that he was about to pull out a bomb and gathered light around her right leg "no you wont" she yelled as she kicked him hardly in his stomach "light gods claw" the man flew back by a beam of black-white light.

"Listen Ace is mine to defeat anyone who tries to defeat him before me will get his ass kicked got it" she shouted at the whole crowd and they began to disperse leaving the two rivals standing "you're mine to defeat got it so don't go fighting against people you cant win against" she told him with a smile

"Same goes to you" he replied with the same smile "from today on we are rivals" Asuna nodded and watched as Ace walked away, he turned around and grinned "next time I will not hold back"

* * *

'_He is my rival so get your hands off him filthy thug' Asuna yelled at some thug in the bar trying to pick a fight with Ace_

* * *

'_He is my enemy you marine bastards if anyone gets to kick his ass it would be me' Asuna yelled with her hands glowing with black and white light attacking a marine battleship while trying to escape from an island_

* * *

**End flashback**

Smiling to himself remembering all the good times, he shifted himself so that he was lying on his back with his arms crossed behind his head "I love you" he said looking at the door imagining her "I will always do no matter what"

Touched by what Ace told her Asuna couldn't think straight, she didn't know what to do, sitting by the door she felt light headed for a second but managed to pull herself together, standing up she looked at the closet door knob debating whether to open it or not however she was saved when a knock on the door was heard, using her enhanced senses and haki she took note of two people by the door one was Vista the other she didn't know

* * *

**A/N: so what do you think of this chapter please leave a review though it isn't that good of a chapter**

**Next Chapter: busted**

**preview:**

**"hey Asuna where is Ace?" Vista asks noticing the missing commander who took both girls away from the party, one returned the other didn't as well as the fire fist - _yes Asuna where is Ace?_**

**"oi Ace how did you get locked up" Claus asked, the fire fist smirked as he heard the conversation and thought of playing a game on the crew by pretending to be a hostage. - _why are you going to prank them?_**

**"and a she-devil" Vista added "you don't suppose she hid her dark side from you 'cause right now she has Ace tied up with _Kairoseki_ chains and locked in his closet starving to death" - _yup word is getting spread about Ace being locked up._**

**UNTIL NEXT TIME...**


	45. busted

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 43: busted**

"Coming" Asuna replied as she walked towards the door, slowly she opened it to see Vista and the other person, he was a man of average height with messy brown hair, that person looked at her with disbelief and made himself comfortable by quickly pulling her into a hug, shocked at what happened Asuna was about to scream until that person let go.

"Sorry I forgot that you have amnesia, you might not remember but I'm Claus does it ring a bell" he asked, Asuna pursed her lips together and shook her head slowly "okay then, I'm Claus a friend of yours and your crewmate, you met Shanks last night didn't you"

"Y-yeah" Asuna hesitated at first but it seemed as if he was a person she could trust, though she backed a few spaces away due to the proximity between them.

"Well he says that tomorrow morning we will come and pick you because we are going to leave this island and he just wanted to check up on you and blah blah blah we talked him into sending someone else and here I am"

"Okay, tell him hi for me" Asuna answered in a straight forward manner like a child would, and turned around heading for the bed as she remembered the conversation she heard earlier

"Hey Asuna where is Ace?" Vista asks noticing the missing commander who took both girls away from the party, one returned the other didn't as well as the fire fist, turning around she pointed at the closet with a straight face, "the closet or bathroom" he asked as he looked at the direction she pointed at

"I locked him up in the closet, he wont come out anytime soon" she replied casually, both men look at her with their jaws on the floor, how could Ace get locked up in his own closet "I will let him out when I feel like it, but until then I suggest you guys bring my lunch as well as his to this room and not interfere as well as you keep a 10 meter distance"

"Oi Ace how did you get locked up" Claus asked, the fire fist smirked as he heard the conversation and thought of playing a game on the crew by pretending to be a hostage.

"I don't know, just get me some food and lots of it because I'm starving" he replied in a fake tiered tone "this _Kairoseki _chain is stealing all of my energy and I'm getting hungrier by the minute"

"_Kairoseki_" both men exclaim and turned to Asuna who understood what Ace is playing at, she just smiled though she didn't know what '_Kairoseki_' actually meant, and shrugged playing innocent. "How on earth do you have _Kairoseki _chains?" they asked in unison

"Amnesia duh?" she said pointing a finger at her brain and giving them an 'are you stupid' look before turning around and heading towards the bed, sitting on it she crossed her arms over her chest and put one leg on top of the other. "I thought I asked for my lunch you better get it" she said in a demanding tone "or else"

"Right away" they both replied in unison and headed towards the door, "Ace hang in there" Vista said as he closed the door and left towards the deck. Standing up from the bed she quickly walked towards the door and locked it, once she was sure it will not open and there was a distance between them she fell on the floor and started laughing, hearing her Ace did the same though he they tried to be as quiet as possible

"You should've seen the looks on their faces" Asuna said as she tried to calm down and held her sides from the pain, she heard Ace start to calm down and level his breathing, standing up she walked towards the closet and opened the door causing Ace who was leaning on it to fall backwards on the floor and look upwards at Asuna "so what should we do" she asked as she crouched down

"We continue like this and I will play the hostage, we can stay here for a while until you obviously get bored" he replied as he sat up straight and faced her "though you don't have any chains do you"

"Wait I'll check" she ran towards the desk where her storage was and picked it up, sitting in front of Ace she activated it and searched through her items until she finally found some, by the time she got them out a knock on the door was heard, tying them quickly around Ace she shut the closet and walked towards the door with a serious face.

**~A few minutes ago~**

Both Vista and Claus ran towards the deck panicking earning the attention of the entire crew, panting in front of Whitebeard they tried to find a way to break the news, the first up was Claus "Whitebeard we I mean you have a slight problem" he started "you see Asuna's condition is far worse than what we thought"

"What do you mean far worse, she was perfectly fine when I left them to talk about our little misunderstanding" Elisa stood next to Whitebeard as he was getting hooked up by several machines and IV drips

"When you said she acts like what she remembers from her amnesia you didn't acquire that she might I don't know have a different personality" Claus asked much to most of the crew's shock

"Yeah but her personality as a 12 year old isn't that different than her 20 year old personality" Elisa replied "I talked to her today about some stuff, her 12 year old personality is fearless, kind, curious, funny and shameless" as she finished most of the crew including Claus had their jaws drop at the last word, the Asuna that they knew was shameless, the one who doesn't tolerate perverted acts

"And a she-devil" Vista added "you don't suppose she hid her dark side from you 'cause right now she has Ace tied up with _Kairoseki_ chains and locked in his closet starving to death"

"WHAT" everyone yelled in unison ignoring what Vista called her at the start, they couldn't believe that Ace was tied up and locked in a closet to the extent that they ignored the word _'Kairoseki'_

"He said that Asuna is holding Ace as a hostage and threatened us to stay 10 meters away _or else_" Claus re-stated "I don't know how or why does she have _Kairoseki_ chains but she does, and has them tied around Ace, who is starving"

"Oi, Claus from where did she get _Kairoseki_ chains -yoi" Marco asked with his lazy expression though his voice said otherwise "and what is that _or else_"

"Beat's me I didn't know about them till now" the brunette replied "and we don't know what the _'or else'_ is but she said in a tone that sent the shivers down my spine"

"What should we do? Oyaji" Izo asked looking at Marco then at their 'father', though most crew members showed visible signs of shock or worry Izo remained the calmest of them all

"What were her demands when you saw them" Whitebeard finally asked, placing the bottle of sake down, though he knew something was fishy in the matter

"Well she said she will release him when she feels like it, and was hungry so she told us to get something to eat, then Ace well he didn't technically cried but you know he said he wanted something to eat 'cause he was starving" Vista replied

"Don't tell me" Elisa exclaimed in shock and face palmed herself "that idiot must've done something for her to do this" the crew looked at her confused and some tilted their heads to the side. "I mean she wont let him free until he apologizes properly that's what it is about"

"That's it all Ace has to do is apologize" Izo asked as if he did something stupid, Elisa nodded at the commander and looked back at Claus and Vista "look Asuna isn't allowed to eat anything, I will prepare both of their meals now go give them their appetizers" she ordered and headed towards the kitchen

"And what are their appetizers exactly" Claus asked looking at Elisa, the head nurse growled and turned her head towards them. "Follow me and I will give them something from the kitchen" she told them.

**~Current time~**

Groaning Asuna opened the door to see Vista and Claus standing with two trays containing, fruit salad, bread, vegetable soup, spring rolls and some onigiri. Asuna raised an eyebrow at the little amount of food the have brought her and Ace.

"That" she pointed at both trays with her other hand on her hip "is not enough to fill us both" she said in a menacing tone "what part of bring me some lunch do you not understand huh?" raising her voice she walked towards them "second when I asked for food I though of sweets not… vegetables"

"Actually this is just the appetizer" Claus replied courageously to the angry blonde, as he said those words her scowl softened and she lowered her hand with a blank expression

"Oh okay then" she spoke normally as if she wasn't angry a second ago "put them on the floor and go get my main dish" the two men tried hardly not to groan at the moment as they set the trays in the middle of the room. "So I want something sweet and yummy for my main course and dessert okay" she smiled as she closed the door.

Walking towards the closet she opened the door and undid the chains on Ace letting them drop to the ground with a slight thud "sorry" whispered and stood up then extended her arm to Ace helping him up.

"So what is it for appetizer" he asked as they walked towards the room center hand in hand

"Healthy stuff, you can have mine I don't like it though besides a while ago I ate through IV" she states as they sit down in the middle of the room, Ace nodded as he sat crossed legged and started eating, Asuna looked at him for a second before sitting down besides him and rested her head on his shoulder "I'm sorry for what I said earlier" she muttered "and I promise not to say it again"

Stopping from eating his food, he faced Asuna with a smile as he moved his arm around her drawing her into him and placed a kiss on her forehead "that's more like my girl, you don't get depressed for too long" he said as he took a few fruits from the fruit salad and in his fork "now open up" he told her as he placed the fork in front of her mouth, chuckling she opened up and ate the fruit

"You have a nice smile" Asuna stated as she brought a hand up to Ace's face cupping his right side and stroking her thumb against his cheeks "and cute freckles"

Looking at her mesmerized Ace placed a hand on top of hers and stroked it before pulling it up towards his lips and planting a kiss on the back of her hand "you as well, you have the most adorable expressions and I love you the way you are so don't try to change a thing about you"

"Now that's flattering me" she chuckled as Ace stroked his fingers against her palm, suddenly she shifted her gaze towards the window and frowned "someone was watching us" she stated furrowing her brows "Marco, he was spying at us"

"Can you hear what they are saying up at the deck" Ace asked as he placed both his hands on Asuna's upper arm, she nodded slightly before closing her eyes and concentrating at hearing the conversation above, slowly a smile etched her face as she heard what she wanted to hear "Marco is covering up, he said that he saw _Kairoseki _chains and that I did a number on you"

"That's good he isn't going to bust us" Ace sighed and returned to facing his meal, as he did he slightly touched Asuna's waist and she flinched backwards, raising an eyebrow a smirk crossed Ace's features as he turned towards her. Looking at his expression Asuna tried to crawl backwards fear of what Ace is going to do to her with such expression.

"I cant believe we fell for those two" Claus growls as he walked along with Vista through the corridor towards Ace's room, while Asuna was listening to their 'conversation' about Ace being tied up, Marco had actually wrote to them in a piece of paper that it was actually a prank and that they are relaxing.

"I will never forgive them, I was actually worried about Ace" Vista stated next to him as they took a turn towards the room, as the got closer they could hear some screaming, giving each other a worried glance they quickly dashed towards where the screaming came. Standing in front of the door with the number '2' they could hear Asuna screaming

"Aghhh, stop stop" she screamed, "ahahaha stop it Ace, you're killing me". Without any second thoughts both men burst the door open on them thinking that Asuna as in danger, but what they saw was the opposite of what they thought; with Asuna on the floor laughing madly as Ace tickled her sides, as the two men barged in Ace stopped his assault and looked at them sheepishly leaving Asuna to pant on the floor, a hand over her stomach while the other was extended outwards, and one of her legs bent upwards "I-I…cant…take…it…any…longer" she said between pants "I'm…gonna…die"

When she received no reply from Ace, Asuna opened her eyes to see Ace staring at the door with wide eyes, leaning her head backwards she saw to angry men looking at them "busted" she said it casually as she tried to sit up straight.

"I've had enough of you two and your pranks" yelled Vista as he walked towards Ace and grabbed him by his hat pulling him upwards "when you were locked I thought you said something, now I thought you were torturing her that was two heart attacks, a man always treats a lady very well"

"But I did nothing Vista, we were playing around" Ace argued as he manage to take his hat off and took a few steps back from the angry swordsmen

"So us hearing Asuna screaming is you playing around" Vista raised his eyebrow and looked at the girl who was now sitting on the floor using her hands as means of support

"Actually I was tickling her that's why she was screaming" Ace replied casually though he was worried of what the other commander might do "it's not my fault that Asuna is ticklish"

"Hey, my sides are the only parts that are ticklish" the said girl defended herself as Vista cornered Ace "and you are the one who tickled my life out of me"

"Ahem" Claus faked a cough to draw attention to himself, he had his arms crossed and was patting the floor quickly "now you two wouldn't mind telling me who was the mastermind of this prank"

Ace and Asuna shared glances at the each other before pointing at the other "it was his/her idea" they shouted in unison. Claus raised his brow at that, sighing he walked up towards Asuna and pulled her up from her hoodie and walked towards the door pulling her with him "Ace is all yours this is mine and the crew's" he stated

""Oi let go Santa" Asuna struggled as she was being dragged through the door "hey are you deaf I said let go" she growled as she held to the door frame tightly, Ace watched as his fiancée was getting dragged and did his best not to smile, as a last result Asuna groaned as she slipped through her dress causing Claus to trip forwards with the dress in his hand, standing up she brushed her hands over her hair "look at what you did now my hair is all messed up" she whined

"As a gentlemen I cannot see this" Vista stated before turning around as his eyes landed on Asuna who was now in a black lacy underwear and bra, Ace sat there drooling over the view while Claus stood up looking at the dress thinking he ripped it before turning towards Asuna, as he did his eyes popped out of their sockets

"Geez why did you strip" Claus yelled as he threw Asuna her dress before turning around his face red as a tomato, Asuna caught her dress and sighed as she wore it

"Hmm 'cause I felt like it and you were dragging me" she answered angrily as she pushed the dress past her waist "what do you want from me anyways, you can look now I'm all dressed up"

"You owe the crew an apology and you need to blend with them not stay here the whole time" he said as he turned around "but don't you feel I don't know a little embarrassed for stripping in front of three men"

"Nah" she replied casually "it's no biggie, I once swam in a lake naked though I got a good beating after that" she lightly shivered at the thought of the beating she got the other day "I'm not going to get a beating am I"

Both Claus and Vista laughed uncontrollably at Asuna who was scared of the beating rather than being embarrassed of being half naked or naked. Pouting Asuna pulled her hood over her head and pulled the strings tightening it, covering her face in the process and walking towards the deck with Claus following her. As Ace stood up trying to follow them Vista stopped him and began giving him a thousand words lecture about being a gentleman and how to treat a lady.

"Xfcgcheuyhf…" Asuna was muttering some cuss words all the way up the deck and Claus wasn't able to make them out but was able to tell some of them, he couldn't believe that a 12 year old would know such words just how on earth was she raised.

Upon reaching the deck she stomped all the way to Whitebeard with a grumpy face, her hood still covering her features and sat by his leg crossing her arms and legs, most of the crew members even those who were angry at the prank couldn't help but find it funny, even Whitebeard himself let out a low laugh. From the corner of her hood Asuna glared at them though it didn't affect them, sighing Claus walked towards her and Whitebeard "don't you have something to say" he asked

"Yeah I do" she said in a pissed tone "I hate you"

As she said those words the crew burst out into laughter and some even fell on the floor clutching their sides, Marco snorted finding grumpy Asuna funny and interesting, when Asuna heard him snort she turned around facing him with a look Marco knew meant trouble. Standing up she walked towards him and pulled the man by his ear to a corner, once there she released his grip around his ear and flung her arm around his shoulder in a friendly way as if she was telling him a plan.

"I know you were the one who told them about us" she whispered causing Marco to gulp "I may be 12 but I am smart so I'm guessing you wrote something on a piece of paper knowing I will hear you, no?"

"I must say the 12 year old you is just as smart as the 20 year old you" he replied, most of the crew would try to listen to them but Asuna or Marco would glare at them. "I wrote on a piece of paper saying it's a prank"

"Just that?"

"Yup, but I have to say I wish I had a relationship like you two" he smiles "don't worry I wont say anything about it"

"What makes me trust you?" she asked as she took a glance to the people partying

"Aren't we friends besides you know that I can back you up when you need it, I would've backed you up but if you just didn't say _Kairoseki_ it would've been easier because those guys were worried as hell"

"It wasn't me it was Ace who said it, I just played along" she whispered back "and what is _Kairoseki_"

"You don't know what _Kairoseki_ is and you just played along" he asked unbelievably, Asuna nodded simply and glanced at the group of partying pirates as they continued to party "well _Kairoseki_ is a type of stone or metal that has the same effects as the sea, it's like a solidified form of the sea"

"Now I see, so it has similar effects on a fruit user as the sea does"

"Yes smarty pants" he teases

"So we've got a deal don't we" she asks in a mischievous tone

"What deal we didn't discuss that" he replied knowing that Asuna is going to spill trouble '_I don't like where this is going_' he thought

"The deal is that anytime me and Ace will pull a prank or do anything and you will tell on us, I will tell the rest of the crew to stand by the door when you and Elisa, you know do things"

Marco turned red as a tomato and took a quick glance at the crew before turning back to Asuna "my lips are sealed" he hastily told her not dropping his glare

"Mines are as long as yours" she told him before letting go and walking back to the party with a innocent smile, most of the crew cheered for her to join though Marco knew that there is more to those smiles she give and he cannot be deceived ever by them again, he just wondered how did this 12 year old turn into that 20 year old, it's just hard to believe that it's the same person but then again it's not his place to say that, after all people change.


	46. night

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 44: night**

After getting a thousand word lecture on being a gentleman and how to treat a lady, Ace managed to get away from Vista and is currently making his way to the deck where his fellow crewmates are partying and where his fiancée is doing who knows what. Upon the thought of her the scowl on his face softened and turned into a smile, he knew she must've pulled something on the crew or either partying making them forget about his prank.

Pushing the door to the deck open Ace met a large crowd of pirates partying and surrounding their 'father' and next to the old man's leg was a young golden haired pirate stuffing her face much like him, making his way through the crowd he stood right in front of them two. Smiling Asuna took a meat stick and shoved it in front of Ace who gladly took it and sat down gobbling the food down.

"Slow down Ace you will choke on your food" Whitebeard stated as he watched Ace shove his food down his throat, swallowing one last time he looked up towards the old man

"Sorry" he replied, which caught most of the groups attention as they all turned around facing him some with furry, standing up Ace raised his hands up in the air telling them to quiet down so he can explain "half of what we did was true, Asuna did lock me up in the closet until a apologized properly and when I did you guys came so we thought that we will continue in with the act"

"Anyways" Asuna interrupted as she gave a toothy grin "let's party"

"Gurararara you have spirit brat" Whitebeard laughed as he watched Asuna order them to party and make them forget about the prank Ace did, drinking his sake he took notice at how similar the girl is to Shanks as a kid rather than an adult.

"Umm Ace what happened to your face" Haruta asks as she noticed the red mark on his right cheek, Asuna's ears picked up on what the young commander said and turned towards him

"Oh this" Ace asked rubbing his cheek lightly and giving Asuna a glance, he noticed how her face became shocked when she saw that the red mark didn't fade

"I slapped him" Asuna answered in Ace's place, most of the crew turned and looked at her with their jaws on the floor, shrugging Asuna continued eating some of the meat "he asked for it"

"Well that was that" Ace stated as he sat down on whitebeards other side "now lets party people, bring the sake out"

"Well then I will take my leave, and the red haired pirates are not responsible for what Asuna and Ace are going to do" Claus stated as he walked towards the railing "Asuna remember tomorrow morning to be ready" with that he jumped of the railings to the docks and walked towards the red haired pirates

"Why what's happening tomorrow morning?" Ace asked, looking at his fiancée he noticed that her smile turned into a frown, she shook her head lightly and smiled once again "nothing it's just that I am going to return with Shanks but don't worry about it"

"I see" Ace muttered as he frowned at the thought of his fiancée leaving tomorrow morning, he thought perhaps Shanks will give them more time but that doesn't seem the case. Noticing Ace's expression Asuna took a meat stick and shoved it into Ace's mouth "hey this is a party why the sad face, smile and where is the music, there needs to be music for a party" she said, roars of agreement reached from the crew and the started to party for real.

* * *

"You partied a lot" Ace states as he carried Asuna bridal style to his room, to his luck today Marco is a bit busy with Elisa so he can use his room tonight. The party lasted longer than they had thought and most of the crew dropped asleep on the deck, Asuna had approached Ace saying she was tired and wanted to sleep. Pushing the door of his room open he slowly let Asuna on the floor, rubbing her eyes she took her storage and went towards the bathroom.

After a few minutes Asuna made her way in a light pink shorts reaching to her knees, and a cream open tassel shirt with the words SLEEP written in black and bold over the chest and there was a black star at the bottom left corner, and had her hair combed straight. She made her way towards the bed as Ace went to the bathroom and get changed, when he came back he saw Asuna sitting on the bed with a pillow in her hands.

"What is that pillow for?" he asked pointing at the pillow, sighing she threw the pillow at him, catching it he raised an eyebrow "why did you throw it at me"

"You will sleep on the floor tonight" she stated simply and lied down covering herself with the blanket and giving Ace her back "what is the difference if you are going to sleep in shorts or boxers? Either way it looks the same" she asked

"Boxers are more comfier to sleep in than shorts" he replied as he walked towards her, sitting down on his knees by the bed he crossed his arms on the mattress and rested his chin on his forearm "and why should I sleep on the floor tonight"

Asuna sighed and turned around so she was facing Ace "I'm still not used to the whole thing, as far as I remember I'm still 12 and I kind of freaked out this morning when I woke up finding a man next to me, I will make it up to you when I remember"

"But the floor isn't comfortable" he whined and pouted causing Asuna to chuckle

"Not my problem now suck it up" she said and turned around over with the conversation

"How boring" Ace muttered lowly though he knew Asuna heard him as she let out a low chuckle, placing the pillow next to the bed he walked to the closet and pulled out a spare blanket, by the time he had returned to the bed he saw Asuna fast asleep "sweet dreams" he whispered as he laid down on the floor and drifted to sleep himself.

As he was sleeping Ace felt a nudge by his side, he turned around and murmured some words in his sleep, suddenly he felt something on top of him and something cold by his face, moving again he felt something graze his face. Opening his eyes he saw it was a hand with what appears to be a bra in her hands, looking towards what he felt earlier he saw an extra blanket, '_probably a dream_' he thought and went back to sleep.

After a while of trying to fall asleep Ace felt what he thought was the bra fall on his face, now he was sure it was not a dream he sat up removing the bra from his face and turned to look at Asuna however he froze in place '_holy shit' _he thought as he took in the scene; Asuna was lying on her stomach her hand dangling from the bed as well as part of her upper body and head, her left leg was bent and her knee was at the edge, any more and she would've fallen, however what caught Ace's attention was that she was only in her underwear, her bra had landed on his face and her blanket was on the floor next to where it landed on his torso, her shirt over his desk and her shorts by the door.

"Hnmm" she moaned in her sleep as she turned around once again only this time she fell of the bed and on Ace with a low thud. Groaning Ace sat up back again covering Asuna with a blanket, and letting her lay down besides him '_stripping in your sleep, that's something unheard of_' Ace thought as he stood up and got Asuna's scattered clothes.

"Asuna honey wake up" he softly said as he shook her gently, another moan escaped Asuna's lips as she attempted to push off the blanket but Ace held it in place "Asuna it's urgent wake up"

"What's so urgent" she groaned as she turned around on her side, feeling the cold floor against her skin Asuna was now wide awake "why am I on the floor" she asked as she turned to face Ace who held her clothes "oh I see, I stripped again and I'm guessing that I fell on you" she said as she sat up straight covering herself with the blanket

"Just get dressed or you'll catch a cold and you know anyone can enter and they will see you like that" Ace gestured to her as he threw the clothes over to her, smiling Asuna picked up her bra and raised an eyebrow "oh okay" Ace said as he turned around while Asuna wore her bra

"It's okay now you can turn" she stated as she leaned on the bed letting the blanket rest on her lap, Ace turned back and sat in front of her studying her body slowly "stop staring, it's creeping me out" Asuna ordered as she covered herself with her arms

"So I'm guessing this stripping thing is usual for you"

"Yeah I have been doing it since I was 10, this is my second year though by your reaction I'm guessing that I have this habit under control by the time I'm 20"

"2 years of stripping in your sleep and you don't know why or can't control it?" he asked in astonishment

"Actually it's after I came from a training session did I start stripping, Miles-san beat the crap out of me but it still no use" she stated in a-matter-of-fact tone "and so they let me be, everyday it would get worse and worse"

"So what now"

"Well, I will have to get dressed again" Asuna stood up as she slid in her shorts, then proceeded to her shirt, Ace studied her once again slowly "I think I'm taking the floor this time, wouldn't want to fall off again and stop staring" she stated as she sat down on the floor pulling the pillow towards her

"Remember what we talked about this afternoon" he waited for Asuna to nod which she did eventually "well I was just admiring your body" Ace states as he pulls the pillow on the bed and places it next to the one on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Hmmm…. I don't know maybe I will hold you from pushing the blankets off and stop you from stripping" Ace smiled as he laid down next to her running his fingers through Asuna's hair

"I would really appreciate it" she smiled before turning around and covering herself "now if you'd mind I want to sleep"

"Sweet dreams" he whispered as he kissed her cheeks pulling his blanket over himself and placing a hand around Asuna's waist holding her in place tightly.

"Sweet dreams to you too" she replied drifting to sleep, Ace just laid there thinking for a while before he fell asleep as well. Though he didn't have the sleep he expected, every now and then Asuna would move and turn around attempting to push of the blanket, hitting him in the process.

'_How could someone muster such strength in their sleep_' Ace though as he held his privates in pain, he lifted his head to see Asuna turning again and kicking the blankets off and hitting his head in the process "oww" he hissed rubbing the spot.

"Asuna would you please stop hitting me" he asked as he sat up straight pulling the blanket over her again, as he did so he noticed her expression – an uneasy expression, her breathing got heavy and she began to sweat and tremble in her sleep. Forgetting about the pain Ace quickly moved by her side and shook her lightly "wake up Asuna" he said in a worried tone

"Ghuahhh" Asuna gasped as she sat up straight tears streaming down her face, taking in her surroundings she knew it was a nightmare, looking at Ace she started panting as she leaned onto his chest.

"Shhh….it's alright, it was just a nightmare" he reassured her as he wrapped his arms around her and ran his hand up and down her arm in a comforting manner "calm down I'm here"

"I" she trembled not knowing the right words to express her feelings, biting her lips she felt Ace rest his head on top of hers as his warmth surrounded her, slowly Asuna began to calm down and hugged Ace back wanting his love, like a child would want their mother's love. "I'm scared and I can't sleep" she finally spoke though her voice was hoarse

"Do you want to talk about it maybe I can ease your fears" Ace suggested as he released her from his hold and looked at her watery eyes. Asuna sighed as she looked at the floor before looking back up, a small weak smile etched her face as she nodded "I'd love to but first lets sit on the bed"

"You think so?" he asked more like teased as he carried her bridal style up to the bed setting her on the edge next to the wall before picking up the blankets and sitting next to her, covering their lower bodies with the blankets as they both leaned on the wall "so what was it about"

"Before I start mind telling me why are you awake at this time?" Asuna asked as she turned her face to look at him

"Well you kept hitting me several times in your sleep and I wasn't able to sleep as I tried to hold you down from stripping"

"Thanks" she sighed before frowning "do they hurt, the hits that I landed on you?" she asked with guilt evident in her tone

"Not really" Ace chuckled "except for one, if I lost my manhood it's all your fault"

"Ohh sorry" Asuna replied and tried her best not to chuckle

"You didn't hit me once but twice, woman"

"Then I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hit you in anyway" she kissed his shoulder before resting her head on it

"I know you want to laugh" he chuckled

"Yes I do"

"Now that we have this over, do you want to explain what got you scared" he asked as he rested his head on top of hers

"I don't know where to start" she sighed she leaned into him "I don't know who she is or what her name is but she has two striking features, green hair and big boobs"

"Okay I think I have a clue on who it is but continue" Ace replied, he knew exactly who Asuna dreamed about, but what had him worried is this is the second nightmare in a week with Nel trying to kill her "and I have a feeling that she is trying to kill you in this dream"

"How did you know?" she asked as she pulled away and looked at him with a questioning and surprised look

Sighing Ace looked at her wondering if he should tell her what he is thinking about, he looked into her eyes and knew he couldn't hide his worries "this is your second dream about her in this week, and she is the one who poisoned you, caused you this and your memory"

"Do you know her"

"not much but I know who she is, but before I would say anything I want you to tell me what is your nightmare about, what did she do this time" he asked as he placed his hands on her arms squeezing them lightly

"deal" Asuna sighed as she moved and sat on Ace's lap to his surprise but he knew that Asuna needed his warmth right now "it started that we were on some burning island, you and me. We were running from something, I don't know what it was" she paused and took a deep breath "we kept running until we reached this wooden bridge and under it was a sea of fire…You crossed the bridge first for safety then it was my turn to cross it"

"…." Ace was so caught up with the nightmare and was seeing the possibilities of what could've happened to her, he just sat there listening not uttering a single word.

"I kept walking slowly because the bridge kept creaking and when I reached mid way, that woman appeared and you started screaming and yelling at me telling me to run and when I did my footing broke and I got stuck, then the fire got stronger"

"wait if there was a fire I could've controlled it" Ace interrupted

"that's the problem, there was a force field blocking our abilities, you couldn't use your devil fruit and I couldn't use my magic, we were practically normal people" Asuna bit her lip before she continued "anyways that woman had a dagger and she cut the rope holding the bridge from the right side, and you took a risk and got on the bridge trying to get me but you didn't, she snapped her fingers and you disappeared, it was just me and her and a sea of lava under me"

"so it's like she changed your surroundings"

"something like that" she nodded and looked down for a while before lifting her head back up and continuing "she was at the other side where you used to be and started cutting the rope corresponding to the one she cut, when she did I was left hanging on the edge, then out of nowhere she appeared right next to where my hands where holding the bridge and said '_you don't deserve to live, the world is better off with you dead, don't take it personally but people just hate demons like you_' before stepping on my hands making me lose my grip and…"

"it's okay if you want to cry" Ace finally spoke as Asuna trailed off not wanting to say what happened after that, pulling her in a strong embrace not letting go any time soon. "Ace" Asuna finally spoke before breaking down crying once again, hugging Ace she buried her face in his chest as she sobbed harder and harder by the second

"I" Asuna started as she pulled away and wiped her tears away "no one ever hated me like the hate I sensed coming from that woman" she stated frowning and looking down at the mattress

"I have a question for you" Ace exclaimed as he held her hands into his caressing them "last night you said you never had friends, and now you said people hate you why is that?"

"I never told you about myself did I, is there something I need to know"

"no and yes" Ace answered much to Asuna's confusion, causing Ace to chuckle at her expression "no you never told me about yourself, and we had an extremely complicated relationship"

"so are you lying about you being my fiancé and"

"no I'm not we got engaged a few days ago, Marco that bastard took some photo's but we had complications and we well never spoke about our pasts" Ace stated as he walked of the bed to his desk pulling out the pictures showing Asuna, who chuckled as she looked through them before facing Ace

"those pictures I don't know what to say, they are amazing and I love that dress" she handed Ace back the photo's as she took a seat in front of him crossing her legs "I go first then when I'm done you start telling me about your past"

"okay but promise not to freak out"

"and you don't break up with me" Asuna replied causing Ace to chuckle but nonetheless he nodded in agreement "so where should I start, I'm not exactly who you might think, back in my home town people would call me _the offspring of evil, _or a _devil_, and some even call me _the wicked witch of the underworld_. Do you know why they call me those names"

"does it have to do with your magic"

"slightly but no, it's mostly has to do with who my mother is, everyone hated her and wanted her dead because she started a war, and because I am her daughter they think I'm destined to do the same"

"that's bullshit, just because your mother did something doesn't mean it's your fault as well" Ace argued, he knew he could relate with her, though people didn't know about his bloodline unlike Asuna whom was known as some criminal's daughter, he couldn't imagine what might've happened or how many people are going to hunt him down if his bloodline was known.

"some people didn't mind and others tried to kill me…" Asuna began telling Ace her life so far from A to Z, surprisingly Ace sat there listening to every single word the whole time and he was focused the entire time, nodding every now and then or giving his personal opinions when needed.

"your life is messed up pretty much just like mine" Ace stated as Asuna finished, the golden haired teen raised an eyebrow at what Ace meant "trust me, my life so far has been a living hell

"so how messed is your life, neither your mother or father were criminals I don't see how messed up it can be"

"oh you are mistaken, but whatever I say in this room stays in this room don't go telling people"

"you think I cant keep a secret, by far I have kept the truth of me and Shanks a secret from the world" Asuna asked, feeling that Ace was doubting her words

"no the adult you is good at hiding things and is a expert liar, but I don't know about the young you"

"years of practicing darling, years of practicing" she teased "I was trained to be sneaky, keeping secrets, eavesdropping"

"eavesdropping?" Ace asked raising an eyebrow, how is someone trained to eavesdrop or why would they be trained to do so

"no I just added that, but don't tell anyone"

"I wont, besides eavesdropping is something that came with your ability, sensitive hearing aren't I right"

"you did your homework" Asuna stated smiling and having her arms crossed over her chest

"you're my girl of course I would do my homework" Ace smirked as he unconsciously leaned forward, closing her eyes Asuna also leaned forward until their lips met into a light kiss, pulling apart Asuna bit her lower lip as she looked down

"I don't know why I did that" she stated pointing a finger in the air "but I just felt like it so I did, anyhow care to explain what made your life a living hell"

"hmm… where should I start, ever heard of a man called Gold Roger…" Ace started and explained his story, how he grew up with Luffy and Sabo with mountain bandits, how Garp used to train them, how he and Asuna met, how Whitebeard used to kick his ass without any efforts, how Thatch died and him chasing Teach, and how he fell in love with Asuna and what happened to her.

"okay now I can see what you meant by living hell" Asuna chuckled as she hugged Ace lightly and rested her head on his shoulder, during his story telling she had moved to his side and played with the blankets "it's ironic isn't it, two people viewed as demons falling in love together"

"sure is" Ace stated as he stood up and made sure that both doors where locked incase Marco thought of invading his room though the bathroom "we should get some sleep, and I'm not holding you off if you tried to strip" he stated as he sat on the edge of the bed

"and you have my word that I will try my best to control it" Asuna stated as she laid down next to Ace placing an arm around his waist as he placed one around her shoulder pulling her closer to him "good night" she whispered as she kissed his chest lightly and closed her eyes falling asleep.

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**A/N: to lazy and dont know what to write in them other than enjoy that's why they will be missing until i know what to write, btw this is just a random tittle that i wrote just a few minutes before posting this chapter****  
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	47. pick-up

**A/N: hey i'm back with more updates today, so tomorrow i'm travelling and well you know how it is to be ****travelling, and i decided to update all the chapters i have done so far and this is the first to be ready, wait for any more chapters.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 45: pick-up**

The late morning sunshine didn't bother the two half-naked sleeping figures, well it wouldn't after such a long night and hard partying, by now most of the crew members were wide awake suffering different sorts and degrees of hangovers. As the crew began to clean up their mess from the previous night, the red haired pirates made their visit to pick up their she-Shanks, but Shanks had to stay inside and not show himself so not to raise suspicion to a particular crewmember.

"Just a second, she is still sleeping" Marco replied in an all too cheery mood, well after the fun he and Elisa had who wouldn't be as happy as he was. Waving he went inside the commanders quarters and towards their rooms, walking towards the second room quickly he stood in front of the door, presuming it would be unlocked he turned the pushed the handle but it was of no use, so he decided to keep knocking hardly and yelling for the two sleeping couple to open up the door.

Moaning in her sleep Asuna turned to her side and used Ace's upper arm as a pillow as she placed her arm over his torso. "Ace see who is at the door" she whined as he unconsciously lifted her leg and placed it over Ace's.

"Why don't you do it?" he moaned back, his eyes still closed indicating that he is half asleep

"Because I'm practically naked" she replied slowly sleep escaping "and I don't feel like dressing"

"But I'm sleeping" he replied still in his sleeping tone until a loud bang on the door, waking them up they both opened their eyes and looked at the door, sitting up straight Ace picked up the blankets that were on the ground and gave it to his fiancée to cover herself up. Placing it over herself Asuna laid down, her eyes half lidded as she watched Ace walk towards the door.

"You have until three to open up this door or I'm going to break it down" Marco threatens from behind the door. "one" he started but couldn't continue as Ace opened up the door, giving his next door neighbor a 'this better be important or you are dead' look

"what on earth would you want at this time, and shouldn't you be sleeping 'cause I'm pretty much sure you would be exhausted after last night" he asked lazily, after all Ace wasn't a man to be interrupted in his sleep

"Shanks is her to pick up Asuna and it's almost afternoon, I should be the one asking why are you so damn tired" Marco answers back calmly as he scanned the room from the little opening that Ace had created

"okay give us five minutes and we will come up" Ace replied lazily as he closed the door on his friends face

"you better be" Marco yelled from the other side of the door before returning back up to the deck

"well that was Marco and he says Shanks is her to pick you up" Ace stated as he walked towards the bed "oh and we have five minutes to get ready or he will break the door down"

"ughh I completely forgot about them, should've told Claus that I wasn't going to go with them today" Asuna groaned as she sat up straight using her hand as support, letting the blanket lay on her lap showing her bra and upper body.

"you're staying" Ace asked, happiness evident in his voice "and I'm amazed you managed not to strip completely" he commented as he leaned towards her, using his hands as means of support.

"well your arms where around me so I found it difficult to strip, you slept in boxers and I slept in my undies makes perfect sense" Asuna replied smirking as she leaned forward and kissing him good afternoon passionately and softly, though it only lasted 4 seconds. "well I better wash my face and go see what they want" she stated jumping from the bed and hurried towards the bathroom, grabbing her pajamas on her way.

Standing up Ace walked towards his closet and changed into his shorts until Asuna finished using the bathroom, just as he was about to knock the door did she open it, dressed into her pajamas, some flip flops and sleep had been washed away from her face

"well I don't have time to change so I just put these back on" she stated pointing to her clothes "and I will see up at the deck trying to explain the situation to Shanks, bye" walking towards Ace she tiptoed kissing his cheeks before rushing out of the room.

Ace just stood there dumbfounded at his fiancée's actions, he didn't expect her to come around this quick, perhaps it was the little talk they had last night. '_still the same love well almost the same_' he thought thinking about how Asuna's kisses felt before she had amnesia compared to now, shaking his head he walked towards the bathroom to wash his face before heading up to the deck and see what mess the golden haired woman would cause.

"listen old man, I want to speak to Shanks and I am not boarding that tiny thing you call a ship" Ace heard Asuna yell furiously at who he presumed was Benn, pushing the door open he walked to where the commotion was. The crew was kind enough to make way for him to see his fiancée leaning over the railing and indeed arguing with Benn.

"what the matter" Ace asks as he rests a hand on her shoulder and looks down to the smaller Red Force, waving he smiled to the red haired pirates "hey guys, if I were you I would do what she says" he warns

"we cant the captain is drunk and he isn't in a good condition and is resting in his quarters" Benn replies "but I'm more than happy to listen to what she says"

"liar" Asuna yelled "I can sense him and he is in a perfectly good condition so let me see him". From inside the cabin Shanks flinched at how smart his daughter is, though he could hardly believe what Claus told him the other day about her memory lost and childish insane behavior, though now he could see what he slightly meant as he peaked through the small window and saw he standing behind the railings in her pajamas not that she didn't do it on the red force.

"look he cant right now, so just come down or I will come up" Benn sighed as he stood over the railings of the Red Force so he can jump to the Moby Dick

"he is the second in command so you have to talk to him in Shanks stead, I'm sure he has his purposes" Ace muttered in hushed tone though he knew Asuna heard him perfectly fine.

"but why is he hiding I don't understand" Asuna replied back, pain evident in her voice '_why are you avoiding me Shanks_' she thought. "fine come up here I'm not going down" she yelled at Benn who sighed, just as she was about to turn around she felt something dark, searching for the source her eyes landed on her fears; it was the green haired woman from her nightmare, sitting on the yardarm by one of the ropes tying the sails a bottle of sake in her hands. Trembling Asuna began to back away until she bumped into Ace, who caught her and squeezed her upper arms lightly in a comforting way.

"hey Asuna just hurry up so we can set sail will ya, my sake is starting to taste bad" Nel yelled from where she was sitting, she knew of Asuna's condition about her having amnesia and regression and that they are linked together, most of the crew did. "better if you don't come back" she muttered presuming that Asuna doesn't know how to use magic, considering that the crew was told that she is just a 6 year old currently.

Trembling even fiercely as she heard what Nel said, tears began to gather as she fell to the ground, clutching her arms tightly and crying "aghhhh" Asuna let out a scream of fear. Crouching down Ace wrapped his arms around Asuna pulling her into an embrace pressing her face against his chest, trying his best to calm down because right now his eyes were cold and were ready to go down and beat the crap out of Nel. Benn who heard the scream quickly rushed from his side and made it aboard the Moby Dick in a matter of seconds and rushed towards Asuna, while the rest of the Red Haired pirates began to panic with the exception of Nel, they all wanted to jump and see what happened that was until they heard a female shout "get her to the sickbay now, she's got a mental breakdown"

Upon hearing those words Shanks was about to burst out of the room and rush to the Moby Dick if it wasn't for Lucky Roo and Yasopp holding him down. Whereas most of the crew froze in their places with the exception of Nel as she was smirking in victory.

"it's her the one in my nightmares" Asuna whispered as Ace lifted her from the floor bridal style, she tightly held his neck as she hid her face from everyone.

"hold on to me tightly, I promise to protect you" Ace replied as he headed towards the sickbay with Benn hot on his trail, the first mate ignored the whitebeard pirates as he followed the second division commander. Reaching the sickbay Ace set Asuna on the bed and sat in front of her, cupping her face in his hands "look at me Asuna calm down, we're all here to protect you" Ace stated trying to get Asuna to calm down

"oi what is going on, what does this woman mean by mental breakdown" Benn asks as he stood in the middle of the chaos not knowing what is going on, and pointed towards Elisa

"I have a name" Elisa growled as she pulled the sphygmometer from the cupboard "and it's Elisa" moving towards the bed she placed the sphygmometer on the side table as she proceeded to wrap the strap around Asuna's arm "hmmm 116/75 not bad just calm down, take a deep breath and let it out"

"listen I asked a question what is going on" Benn growled finally having lost his patience

"she suffered a mental breakdown and I don't mean regular ones, Asuna-chan's mental breakdowns are when something happens causing her to remember part of her memory, yesterday she suffered a really intense one and I don't blame her but she remembered almost a year of her life" Elisa explained

"so you're basically saying something triggered her memory causing the breakdown" Benn concluded, and earned a nod from Elisa. Turning around he faced Asuna to know what she remembered.

"I didn't remember a thing about my memory, just my nightmare from last night" Asuna interrupted, earning a confused look from Benn but mostly from Elisa. "last night I had a nightmare and that woman with green hair was in it, and she killed me" Asuna muttered the last part as she brought her knees up to her chest hugging them tightly

"Ace" Elisa growled looking at the young man demanding why he didn't come to her last night but then she knew she wouldn't be in the mood for him

"and when I saw her after she yelled at me to hurry she muttered that it's best if I don't come back and then I felt it, the hate in her heart" Asuna explained as she started to sob again "what did I do to make someone hate me that much?"

Benn could only watch heartbroken at Asuna's condition, he couldn't believe that the cheery, carefree, happy-go she-Shanks has been reduced to such state. He knew a fearless girl but this isn't the same girl he knew, a girl who depends on herself not on others, a girl who hides her pain with a smile, but then he noticed that the girl he knew has been fighting all along. Sighing he walked towards Asuna and ruffled her hair lightly "you feel safe here don't you?" he asked

Asuna nodded and wiped her tears away, for some reason when Benn touched her she felt calm and she knew him from somewhere, he made her feel like she was with Shanks. "who are you exactly" she finally asked as she didn't ask who he is when she wanted to speak to Shanks

"I'm Benn Beckman the first mate of the Red-Haired pirates and a close friend of yours" he stated as brought his hand down "right now I'm covering for Shanks, you have no idea how hard it is that we convinced him to stay hidden, right now Roo and Yasopp are doing their best to hold him down"

"why" Asuna asked confused as why are they not letting Shanks see her

"because if he did then that woman, Nel will try and kill you again" Benn explained "we had him to pretend that he doesn't care about you, but it seems like he is going to throw the act down"

"I see, then Ossan can you tell him that I'm staying here until I regain my memory" she grinned, much to the confusion of everyone in the room

"I'm not an Ossan okay" Benn growled at the name she gave him, but it was a miniature Asuna that he is arguing with, he just wondered what would happen if Shanks had known about her existence and raised her on board the ship, it would've been a disaster. "but if it makes you feel safe then I don't mind, just contact us once you've regained your memory" he sighed in defeat

"okay" Asuna replied simply in her childish tone, her grin not leaving her face

"then I will call our doctor to discuss some things with Elisa-san here" he stated pointing at Elisa much to her dislike, "and inform Shanks of your intentions, do you want me to pass anything to him?"

"hmm, yeah" she replied after thinking for a while "tell him that I am angry because he didn't visit me but I still love him and to take care"

"I will" Benn smiled and left the sickbay, as soon as he was out of the door he lit a cigarette since Elisa banned him from smoking inside the sickbay, and headed towards the ship.

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"stop it boss, you have to lay low for Asuna-chan" Lucky Roo argued with Shanks as he held the captain in his quarters preventing him from leaving the ship and rushing towards the Moby Dick

"but I have to see her now" Shanks argued back as he tried to push Roo out of the door, but the round man held his ground firmly. However a knock on the door saved the two from arguing, Shanks thought of using this chase to escape but how could he when his sharp shooter eye's bored into his skin.

"captain-san may I have a word" a soft female voice was heard from the other side of the door

"not now Rylie, the captain is busy" Yasopp replied quickly before Shanks could say a word

"no I'm not" Shanks yelled back

"yes you are" Yasopp growled as he entered a deadly staring showdown with his captain, knowing he will lose but still held his gaze long enough to buy some time

"I know now isn't the right time but what I want to talk to you about is upmost urgent concerning Asuna" the woman named Rylie stated, earning the attention of the three men. In an instant the door was opened and Rylie was pulled in the room quickly that she found herself stumbling towards the wall, and ultimately crashing into it.

"jeez guys what good can I be if I'm all broken, who would cook all of your food huh?" Rylie asked rubbing her nose from the impact, she was a slender tall woman in her mid or late-20's, she had mid-back length black wavy hair tied into a lose bun and kept under a northern style white fur hat with the exception of two long strands framing her face, her most prominent feature's are her golden yellow eyes. She sported a short, long sleeved purple dress with lace embroidered edges, stockings reaching up to her thighs held up by suspenders, and black high-heeled boots with two lines of buttons on the front. When she is in the kitchen she sports a yellow apron with the words 'chef' in black over her outfit.

"you would" Shanks teased, knowing that Rylie could indeed cook a feast even if she is down with a bad fever

"that's not the case captain" Rylie stated leaning on the wall and crossing her arms over her chest as well as her legs. "why would you not see Asuna" she asked in a pained tone

"well I want to but those guys here wouldn't let me" Shanks pouted, causing the young chef to chuckle

"captain-san, I have been serving under you for 8 years now" she stated in a smile "and there are things going on this ship that you probably don't know of"

"continue if you would" Shanks asked now interested where this conversation is going to lead

"ever since three years ago, when you asked more like nagged Asuna to join you seemed happier and more cheery and ordered more parties" she smiled "which was weird because Nel wouldn't let us party, but then I came to the conclusion that Asuna was the one who was on your side whenever you wanted to party"

"so what are you saying" Shanks asked slightly disappointed that the conversation isn't leading to where he hoped it would

"I didn't finish yet, have some patience captain" Rylie groaned

"sorry, go on" he motioned for her to continue

"then one day after one of the parties, I kind of overheard you and Asuna talk and she said that she didn't have a father when she was younger so she doesn't need one now" Rylie sighed "at that time I found out she was your daughter, then after studying you both I noticed she has some of your looks but defiantly your personality"

upon hearing those words Shanks and his two loyal subordinates looked at Rylie shocked, but what shocked Shanks is that she didn't go and blab about what she heard or know, "you thought I would go tell on someone didn't you" she asked noticing the looks she received

"well yeah, that's what girls do, they talk" Yasopp stated "and does Asuna knows that you know?"

"to be honest I tried to approach her in an indirect way but she said: _if I had the family I wanted would I be a pirate, and don't ask me about them_" Rylie replied "and then I knew she seems to slightly hate the subject for one I would too"

"you really hate your brother don't you Dracule Rylie" Shanks raised an eyebrow at the chef, Rylie sighed and looked at Shanks with her golden eyes boring into his skin

"never bring his name ever again, Mihawk abandoned me when I needed him the most, I was just 7, 7 damn years old and he left to become a pirate, he didn't think about taking his little sister with him" Rylie growled

"I don't blame you" Shanks sighed, noticing the pain in the raven-haired woman's eyes

"he just kept blaming me for our parents death, that's why he left me alone" Rylie sighed in defeat, looking at the floor

"enough of the Mihawk talk and say what is it that you want to discuss" Roo snapped the room out of their gloominess.

"yeah, so as I was saying" Rylie started looking at Shanks this time "you go up there and talk to Asuna or I'm locking the sake for a month got it"

"right away" Shanks smirked knowing that Rylie is helping Shanks meet his daughter using sake as a way to threaten him. Opening the door of the cabin Rylie lead the way to the deck, as they reached the entire crew looked at Shanks surprised that he was faking being hangover, mostly Nel was shocked to see him up at the deck since he told her he didn't care, and specially that he was heading towards the Moby Dick.

"don't ever think of coming back down without visiting her, I will personally ask Asuna if you visited and if she says no you can kiss the sake goodbye for one entire month" Rylie yelled at the captain helping him

"a week" Shanks argued back

"if you delay this it will be 3 months now go up there" Rylie replied and gave him a wink that was unnoticed

"fine" Shanks yelled as he turned around hiding his smirk. As soon as he boarded the Moby Dick he made his way to the sickbay, as he almost reached the corridor he met Benn at the corner turning around.

"What are you doing here captain" Benn asked surprised that Roo and Yasopp weren't able to hold Shanks down and the fact that the act is going to fall apart thanks to his selfishness "the act-"

"Rylie-Chan created a diversion for me" Shanks smirked "she threatened if I don't visit Asuna she will lock the sake up for a month"

"and the crew fell for it"

"worked like a charm" Shanks smiled as he walked past Benn towards the infirmary, not bothering to knock on the door he let himself in as if it was his own ship.

"Shanks" Asuna exclaimed happily as she saw her father enter the room, jumping from the bed she ran towards him and hugging him tightly "why did you come" she asked pain in her voice as she hugged his waist harder, Shanks looked at her surprised but patted her head lightly with a sheepish chuckle.

"Asuna now you are killing me" he groaned due to the lack of oxygen he was getting, releasing him from her grip Asuna looked at Shanks with a wide smile and watery eyes. "you cant be smiling and crying at the same time" he teased

"but" Asuna argued, her tone of a child "Benn nō Ossan said that if you show up that green haired woman will try to kill me again". Speaking of the devil, Benn entered the room with a scowl on his face; the plan they worked so hard to keep Asuna safe is falling apart because of Shanks and his fatherly attitude.

"oi Benn, what did you tell my little Asuna" Shanks asked in his childish attitude matching Asuna's, causing the young woman to giggle lightly at her father's actions

"captain I know that Rylie created a diversion for you but if you stay to long then people will get suspicious"

"just five minutes you go tell the crew something, just do whatever it takes to make Nel fall for the lie"

"yes captain" with that Benn took his leave and headed towards the ship trying to think of some lie to fool Nel that Shanks is going to take longer than the necessary because he knew his captain would do whatever it takes to be by his daughter's side.

"ne, Shanks why is that green haired woman in our crew" Asuna asked her father innocently trying to wonder why would a woman like her be in a pirate crew

"well she joined before you by a year or so, and was a good addition to us" he explained "she took her tasks seriously but now I don't know what made her turn on you like that, you two used to be rivals something like that"

"I don't know about that, but I was going to say that you guys can leave without me-" Asuna started but was cut off by Shanks

"WHAT" he exclaimed, causing Asuna to jump "what do you mean we can leave what bout you, I'm not leaving you behind"

"I'm not going to stay here for long" Asuna began to explain her plan "I'm just going to stay here until I regain my memory, Elisa-san is helping me greatly, besides I feel safer here than aboard the ship, they welcomed me with open arms" she tugged onto Ace's arm as she looked at Shanks "when I do regain my memory I will hurry back to the ship"

"but, I'm going to miss you" Shanks pouted like a child

"I will miss you too but please" she gave him the puppy dog eyes "pwease papa can I stay a wittle longer" Asuna pleaded, Shanks couldn't say no to the face she was making as he found it just so adorable, Ace as well was starting to melt to that face '_if I ever get that face I'm done for_' he thought as he tried not to lose his composure, though sweat beads began to form on his forehead.

"fine" Shanks gave in to her as he melted on the floor, what shocked him most is that he fell for such act seeing that Asuna was smiling and jumping in joy, sighing in defeat he let his lips curve in an upward smile as he noticed his daughter's innocence and happiness at that age. "so are you just going to jump around and not hug your father goodbye" he asked

"of course I will" Asuna smiled as she walked towards Shanks hugging him tightly, burying her face in his chest "why is that I like hugging you" she asked softly as she closed her eyes and let herself be enveloped in Shanks's warmth, as he wrapped his only arm around her letting his hand rest on the back of her head as he leaned forward and rested his chin atop of her head.

"I guess it's in your genes" he chuckled "you're mother was always fond of hugs like those"

"dad why weren't you in my life so far" she asked as she pulled away and looked at Shanks in the eye "I'm 12 and a half, and by far you were not in my life why is that"

"because I didn't know about you, Miles-san hid the fact of your birth away from me and the world, when your mother passed away-" Shanks stated

"died, she died giving birth to me" Asuna corrected her father

"when she died giving birth, I was told that it was from internal bleeding and that there was no child" Shanks continued "if I've known about your existence I would've been there your entire life, and when you came to me 3 years ago you brought the light back to my life, the same light your mother had brought to mine"

"you love mum don't you" Asuna smiled, looking at her father who nodded and returned the smile back. To Asuna who had her memories robed, hearing Shank say those words made her happy, to her it was like a second chance in life and having the family she wanted, to have a person she could call dad was currently her happiness. Ace gave a sad smile looking at the scene, he wished he had a family like them, to have a mother and a father to be proud of him, but even if they were alive he wouldn't want to have a father like Roger, no he wanted to have a different father, a father he wouldn't be ashamed of.

"what's with that look, you are part of this family now" Shanks stated looking at Ace, the young commander looked at him surprised by what the red-haired man wanted from him "then I will leave my daughter in your care" Shanks smiled as he placed a hand on Ace's shoulder

"she will be in safe hands, I promise to protect her with my life" Ace replied as he looked at Asuna his hands shoved inside his pockets

"I trust you will" Shanks stated in a deadly aura "because if she has as much as a single scratch on her you will regret it and wish you were never born, understand"

"y-yes sir" Ace stuttered as the aura that Shanks gave off sunk into his skin

"then I will see you guys later" the older man stated happily as he skipped off to where his daughter is, kissing her forehead he headed towards the door "bye, take care pumpkin pie" he waved and left

After a while of leaving footsteps where heard at the door, "two people are coming, one of them is the doctor from the other day, but the second I don't know but she smells familiar" Asuna stated as she took in the scents of the people, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling close to him, Ace smiled and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. As he finished a knock was heard by the door before it was opened to reveal an old man in his 50's with slightly grey-hair, and a black haired woman with piercing yellow eyes, as the woman laid her eyes on Asuna a smile etched her face.

"Asuna" the woman exclaimed happily as a stray tear escaped her eyes and leaped forward to embrace the young girl, but was stopped as the doctor grabbed her from the collar of her dress and shook his head "but look Asuna is right here and I want to hug her tightly"

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**A/N: the new character Rylie is Mihawks younger sister so she is like 28 or 29 now, she has the same eyes as her brother, and she wears a hat similar to Law in the first half of the story, so i had to search for Law's hat to write an exact description but here you go i just wrote it down here, tune in for the next chapter**


	48. pick-up II

**A/N: update #2 of the day, that's my only author notes**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 46: pick-up II**

"_Asuna" the woman exclaimed happily as a stray tear escaped her eyes and leaped forward to embrace the young girl, but was stopped as the doctor grabbed her from the neck of her dress and shook his head "but look Asuna is right here and I want to hug her tightly"_

"I don't want to be rude or anything but who are you" Asuna asked looking at the woman that entered the room, just like Asuna her eyes were piercing that's what caught the blonde's attention.

"Oi doc let go, I wanna speak to my Asuna-Chan" the raven haired woman exclaimed, but the doctor refused to let go "OI, grampa let go" the woman yelled as she stomped on the doctor's foot with her heel, causing him to yelp in pain and let go of his grip, using this as a chance to escape the yellow eyed woman leaped forward and pulled Asuna into a bear hug. "I missed you Asuna-Chan" the woman tightened her hug around Asuna causing her to gasp for air.

"I'm going to die" Asuna croaked as she was getting suffocated, and tried to extend her arms but they were stuck to her sides tightly. Noticing the lack of air Asuna was getting, the raven haired woman let go, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly

"sorry, I guess I got carried away" she chuckled, slightly embarrassed by her actions, Asuna took a deep breath before exhaling it all out.

"I though I was gonna die" Asuna exclaimed as she was able to breath properly now and lacked no oxygen "you didn't answer me, who the hell are you?" Asuna asked, causing the happy woman to lose her smile "I kind of know that this old man is the doctor of the crew but who are you" Asuna pointed at Dr. Nigera who was now discussing something with Elisa about the pills and what she can and cannot eat as well as her progress.

"ahem, sorry for not introducing myself" the woman faked a cough "my name is Rylie, and I'm the red haired pirates chef, your roommate and female bestie, and I'm sorry for my poor manners earlier" Rylie finished of with a slight bow

"n-no, it's alright" Asuna stuttered at the amount of respect she was getting from Rylie "but can I call you Ray-Chan?" she asked unconsciously not knowing why she did but it seemed more familiar and closer to call her with that

"you always call me Ray without the –Chan so I don't see a problem" Rylie shrugged as she gave a wide smile "can I hug you again"

"if you're going to squash me to my death then I would gladly pass" Asuna replied in a straight forward manner causing Rylie to chuckle and shake her head

"no that was because I missed you like mad, this is a different hug" Rylie smiled as she approached Asuna, and wrapped her arms around the young female and resting her chin on Asuna's shoulder "I'm just glad you are fine, Benn told us that you are going to stay here for a while, and it's just I cant imagine how things will go for me while you are gone" Rylie stated sadness apparent in her tone, she gave out a low sigh before continuing "who am I going to laugh and talk with all night long, who am I going to cook the extra large meal's and sneak sake for, who is going to help me in keeping those idiots away from the kitchen, I know I'm saying some insane stuff" she gave off another sigh again "it's just that what I'm trying to say is that I'm going to miss you a lot, but I don't blame you" Rylie pulled herself away as she let both her hands now rest on Asuna's shoulders caressing them

"Ray-Chan don't cry" Asuna asked as she saw the tears forming in Rylie's golden eyes, the older female shock her head as she let the tears roll down her face, and gave off a weak smile

"I just want to see you one last time before you go, you are my only friend that I can trust, and I just wanted to see you safe and well" Rylie stated as she wiped the tears with the back of her hand "from now on you will stay on this ship under the care of the Whitebeard pirates for who know how long, and I don't know what their cooks prepare but be sure to eat a good portion of breakfast and don't make it later than 10 am, always make your breakfast healthy and never forget your fruit salad, and don't exceed 5 servings because then you will not be able to eat well for lunch"

"and what am I going to have for lunch" Asuna chuckled at Rylie's instructions "and Ray-Chan I don't like fruit salad"

"you have to eat them or you will not get your energy in the morning" Rylie demanded "and for lunch, well you eat whatever you want and make sure you only eat 10 servings of the main dish because you will need to leave some space for the dessert, and don't drink anything not water not sake not anything between your servings, only drink after you have finished eating your main course"

"oi, oi" Asuna sweat dropped at her appetite, right now her appetite isn't that big she can only have half the amount '_just what did my stomach grow into, 10 servings you've gotta be kidding me_'

"and for dinner do not make it later than 10.30 pm because you will not be able to digest the food at night, and make sure to eat something light on your stomach, that's about it, if you want a midnight snack just ask for something really light like soup or something from the desserts"

"I will try my best to comply but I cant promise that I will eat as you asked, after all I'm just 12 and a half" Asuna chuckled at the long list of her eating style

"my main point is eat a balanced and healthy diet, if you are craving for something then eat it, except for apricots you cant get close to those" Rylie sighed "and take good care"

"thank you Ray-Chan, I will keep what you said in mind" Asuna smiled as she wrapped her arms around Rylie's waist and hugged the older female, Rylie smiled and wrapped one arm behind Asuna's back while the was around her head pulling the young girl into Rylie's cleavage, causing Asuna to feel short.

"if you are wearing heels you will not feel short" Rylie chuckled as if she read Asuna's mind "but then again you are kind of tall without wearing them but not as tall as me, I'm probably taller than Ace"

"if you are really tall then why do you wear heels" Asuna asked as she pulled herself away from Rylie's cleavage

"because it's a fashion style and helps me blend with the tall guys in our crew" Rylie stated as she ruffled Asuna's hair "seems like doc is finished and I'm going to have to take my leave"

"meanie" Asuna pouted as she straightened her hair with her hands, and watched as the doctor approached her.

"I'm sorry if I hadn't introduced myself to you the other day, my name is Dr. Nigera and I'm the red haired pirates doctor" he extend his hand for Asuna to shake which she did

"yeah I kind of figured that out" Asuna replied as she rubbed the back of her head "and I presume that you gave Elisa-san some pill that will help me with my memory which I would take after 1 week" she asked

"exactly your hearing senses are extreme at such a young age, I'm impressed" Dr. Nigera stated with a proud smile "and I heard you made some progress in regaining some form of your memories though with bad side effects"

"well, the mental breakdown as they call it was because I remembered some things I want to forget"

"anyways since you heard my conversation with Elisa-dono, I guess you don't want me to repeat all I said to you over again"

"I've already got it, doctor-san" Asuna stated "the recovery pills worked like a charm, I was at 90% health by last night, and now I think it's 99"

"well that's good news to hear, and you know about the therapy session you are going to take?" he asked

"yeah" Asuna nodded, knowing that she is going to get stuck in the infirmary for the next hour or two thanks to Dr. Nigera's 'therapy session' of having her regaining an amount of her memories each day "each day I need to spend about 1 to 4 hours of meditating something like that to regain my memory, I'm well aware that I'm not going to leave this infirmary soon"

"well then I guess we better hurry and let you start your therapy" Dr. Nigera stated as he turned around and pulled Rylie from her hand

"Ace if you do anything to make Asuna sad, I will hunt you down myself" Rylie threatened as she was dragged by Dr. Nigera through the door "oh and Asuna good luck in your therapy sessions, hang tight okay"

"I will" Asuna chuckled as she watched Rylie fade through the corridors and felt her presence get further and further, turning around she let out a big breath "I guess I will start with the therapy if I want to leave this room quickly, but I'm doing an hour today that's my max"

"you are doing two and there is no arguing" Elisa ordered as she packed the magic pills in a safe place

"one hour"

"two"

"one"

"one and a half or three"

"one and a half it is" Asuna replied quickly as she didn't want to get stuck for three hours in this place, specially since she is going to meditate by herself with Elisa and no one is allowed to come inside while they are at it.

"now Ace, say what you want for Asuna because you will not see her for the next hour and a half" Elisa turned to the fire fist, whose eyes widened at what he just heard "as a matter of fact, you are not allowed to be in those hallways or by a 10 meter radius got it, you have five minutes"

"isn't that a little bit too far" he asked as he walked towards Asuna and pulled her into a hug as he wrapped his arms around her back and rested his chin atop of her head, smiling Asuna wrapped her hands around his waist "well hang in there tightly, and I will be cheering for you from 10 meters away" he chuckled

"I know you will, but I think it's best if you hang with the guys because with you there I don't think I can focus" Asuna chuckled

"so do you want me to do anything or get you anything" he asked

"hmm…since I'm hungry and it's late, I guess I will have a cup of juice or something, and something really light to eat, I cant disobey Ray-Chan's orders can I" Asuna replied softly as she pulled away "and let someone else get it, because I don't think you will be able to leave the room unscratched and let me meditate"

"yes mam" Ace smiled as he kissed Asuna on her cheeks before leaving and heading towards the galley to get his girl something to eat, because he isn't going to see her for the next hour or so.

"okay now that he is gone, hopefully he will come back or send someone with your food, you will have 15 minutes to rest and perhaps change, your round thing is with you or" Elisa asked looking at Asuna wanting an answer, the young female shook her head and rested on the bed folding her arms behind her head looking at the ceiling.

"ne…Eli-Chan, can I call you that Eli-Chan?" Asuna asked softly as she tilted her head to the side to look at Elisa before returning her gaze to the ceiling

"yeah why not?" Elisa replied as she pulled out some candles from the cupboard, for some reason the old woman kept some candles in the sickbay incase of emergencies, placing them on the table she turned around and looked at Asuna

"how long do you think it will take for me to regain my memories" Asuna asked, Elisa took note of the pain in the blonde's voice as she lowered her head thinking about the possibilities

"hnm…I cant exactly tell how long it depends on the process you are doing everyday, but by the end of the week you are going to take those pills that will speed up the process so I would say roughly no longer than a month" Elisa stated as she returned her gaze towards Asuna now curious why did she ask "why?"

"because there are things inside that I want to know, some things that I believe I've been hiding, and I want the answer to some of my questions, I cant be naïve the entire time and believe what people tell me" Asuna stated as she moved one hand and extended it upwards looking at her fingers "for instance you might be lying about my past, like if I was saved someone else they would tell me that I'm a different person and they will end up using me and when I will regain my memories I will have nowhere to go"

"you can always come here, you are welcomed with open hands" Elisa smiled

"right now the only person I can really trust is Ace, he will accept me no matter what my background is" Asuna smiled as she sat up straight and let her legs dangle from the edge of the bed '_that's right he showed it to me last night, he even shared his darkest secret with me, even after he knew what I am_' she though before jumping of the bed and heading towards the door "my food arrived faster than I thought" Asuna smirked as she opened the door revealing Marco with a tray in his hands.

"let me guess Ace told you?" Elisa raised an eyebrow as her boyfriend entered the room and placed the tray on the table

"bleh, eggs and toast" Asuna stated as she saw what Ace had ordered for her "the only good thing is this mango juice"

"well Ace as well got stuck with eggs and toast" Marco chuckled "if you two had woken up earlier you would've been able to ate bacon and sausage besides that"

"Marco I really appreciate it but we need to hurry up with our therapy" Elisa sighed as she rubbed her temples

"well then I will see you later" Marco said in a tone that meant that what he just said has a deeper meaning, as he kissed Elisa forgetting that Asuna was in the room watching them, the young girl blushed and turned around before faking a cough reminding the two that she is in the room "I trust we have a deal" Marco stated as he ruffled Asuna's hair before leaving the room.

"cocky bastard" Asuna stated as she tied her hair before eating what Marco calls breakfast

"what deal" Elisa asks as she looks at Asuna crossing her arms over her chest

"oh it's nothing" Asuna replied with her mouth stuffed in toast "it's just that we made a deal that I will not spoil your lovey dovey time together, because he will let's say get me into deep trouble"

"okay finish your juice because we will start your therapy now" Elisa sighed, as she walked towards the candles and lighted them, placing them on the floor she sat crossed legs and gestured for Asuna who just set her juice on the tray to sit in front of her. Sitting in front of Elisa, Asuna crossed her legs and looked at Elisa wondering what is going to happen, "I want you to close your eyes and relax" Elisa stated thus starting their 1 hour and a half therapy to helping Asuna regain her memory.


	49. void

**A/N: update #3 of the day, hopefully two more left**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 47: Void**

**Asuna's POV**

Just as I finished my juice Elisa gestured for me to sit in front of her, crossing my legs I rested an elbow on my left knee and rested my chin on top of that hand, looking at Elisa wondering what my 'therapy' is, "I want you to close your eyes and relax" she stated as if she had read my mind.

"you're joking right" I chuckled as I straightened my back and gave her a demanding look "what is this some sort of talking to the spirits training, and what's with the candles" I asked pointing at the candles

"those fragranced candles they give a nice jasmine and lavender smell, you should've noticed that" Elisa growled already getting angry with my lack of patience "and they are here to help you concentrate on your meditation, now I want you to close your eyes and relax or we can spend all day here"

"hai hai" I raised my hands in the air before letting them relax on my legs, and closing my eyes, for some reason this 'therapy' reminded me of the control training Miles-san put me through '_take a deep breath and let it out slowly_' I told myself as I closed my eyes and began to inhale the air through my nostrils and exhaling it through my mouth

"good now I want you to shut your senses of sight" Elisa ordered as she saw my progress

"is this really going to work" I asked her and tried my best not to lose my current breathing rhythm

"hopefully if you try and focus with me, now shut your senses of sight, when you do your mind will automatically stop you from speaking" Elisa stated "it will be like you are sleeping"

"my, my I get to have some extra sleep" I stated as I focused on shutting my sight, which is practically impossible. No longer able to tell time exactly I think I stayed like that for quite a while as my eyes are stuck like this and they wont open up anytime soon, as Elisa stated earlier I felt my throat get dry and freeze in it's place.

"can you talk" I heard Elisa ask, shaking my head lightly I tried to move my lips but they just wouldn't part "okay now I want you to focus on shutting your senses of smell"

'_the hell_' I thought as I nodded slowly and tried to stop the many different smells from entering my nostrils, slowly I felt the scent of the candles get weaker, furrowing my brows I attempted to completely cut of my sense of smell but then I heard a voice in the back of my head '_don't think a lot about it_' it said, it appeared as some sort of advice so I relaxed my facial expression and let out low breath, surprisingly my lips parted when I did that '_shut of my sense of smell, don't smell a thing, there is no smell_' I repeated to myself, after what seemed forever my lips curved upwards saying it was a success

"okay now I want you to relax your muscles completely and shut of your senses of hearing" Elisa ordered, but if I shut my senses of hearing I wouldn't be able to hear her "this is going to be my last order, when you do try to focus on something some date you want to remember, from the on you are on your own but I will stay by your side the entire time"

nodding my head I began to do as she told me, slowly I felt my head get numb and my limbs freezing in place, not able to perceive time properly it felt like by every passing minute that the ship get's quieter the place get's darker and I am no longer able to feel what is going around me. My body felt light like a feather and there was nothing touching it as if I was floating in the air, slowly my eyes began to open on their own.

Complete darkness is the word I would use to describe my surroundings, there was nothing but pitch black, though my eyes are wide open, all I saw was darkness. After a while my senses began to come back for some unknown reason, there was no sound, no essence, no nothing. Just a dark void

'_where am I_' I thought, however I heard my voice not from my mind but from the void and through my ears. "eh, my voice" I heard my thought's aloud, I tilted my head upwards but saw nothing, again complete darkness. "is there anyone" I asked aloud but only met the echo of my voice, "where the hell is this" I yelled in frustration and puffed my cheeks. Suddenly I heard a giggle, a hollow voice that sounded awfully a lot like mine, but I didn't think or laugh about anything.

"heheh" the hollow voice echoed through the void once again, moving my floating body I turned around looked left and right for the voice but nothing, frowning I looked at my footing then something seemed off, my body was glowing and I was wearing an off-white loose dress. It had a halter and a deep v-neckline, with a knot holding it upwards at my neck, around my waist was a cream colored sash-like belt tied with a ribbon on my left side. The top half of the dress was in an X like shape with the right side intersecting over the left side at the waist ending with the bow, showing a good amount of cleavage. The bottom half was loose and reached an inch or two below my knees, it was pleated and floating along with my body. My hair was combed straight and floating in the air, and I was barefoot with only one long diamond shaped earing on my right ear.

"it's been a long while hasn't it" I heard the hollow voice once again, lifting my head and turning my gaze from my clothes I looked forwards and spotted myself but I looked somewhat different, my dress was instead black and the ribbon was white, my hair was slightly longer and wavier, the whites of my eyes were black in color and my iris was orange, and I looked somewhat paler in color, it was as if I was seeing an inverse reflection of myself

"eh?" I asked confused, just who the hell is that person and why does she look a lot like me

"I believe we never met each other in person, but we used to talk with each other lately, or did you forget" the person asks as she knotted her hands behind her back, her smile not leaving her face "who am I?" she asked as if she had read my thought's "I am you" the woman answered

"me" I tilted my head to the side even more confused, how is that person me, there were a thousand thought swarming in my mind that I wanted to ask that woman, where is this place? Why is dark? Just how can you read my thought?

"you are an idiot aren't you" the woman chuckled "but then again it's really rare to enter your subconscious, I'm amazed"

"subconscious, hey I want some explanations" I ordered "and I do believe you can read my thoughts"

"that's right so where shall I start, that's right I'm your subconscious meaning I am you, for starters call me Conscious, easier that way" the woman 'Conscious' stated "right now we are inside our own mini world, but you know what I hate dark place's, the color of this room changes depending on you, right now you are in the dark, you know nothing that's why this room is dark"

"wait you said there is a world in we are in a room, what do you mean"

"ever since you lost your memory this entire world fell into darkness, but by every memory you get the light slowly returns, this world is composed of rooms in one giant tower floating in the sky, right now only several rooms have light's and doors"

"meaning" I said as I understood what Conscious was getting at

"yes, this is one room and you have to create a door, any memory be used" she replied smiling, but then she lost the smile to a frown "but there is a toll, your body will get hurt in the process as well, so just think of what you want to remember carefully"

"so if I thought some event and that time, let's say I broke my leg will my leg get broken as well" I asked wondering what kind of pain and toll will I have to pay

"no it's not like that" she chuckled "it's just that you will exhaust your body a lot and probably be bedridden for a while, but the more older the memories are the more fatigue you will receive"

"okay so I'm currently 20 and I remember until 12 and 9 months, meaning I have about 7 years of missing memories" I told myself "and those 7 years compose most of this tower, I have to be careful at choosing the time" I muttered with my arm crossed over my chest and the other cupping my chin, in a thoughtful way, I hummed to myself thinking of the possibilities that I could chose

"I don't see why not" Conscious stated as she read my mind "the pain will be as half bad, trying to remember something about 5 years ago huh?" she asked

"yeah any big event that happened on April 1517 AOP" I stated smiling "I will be 15 and 2 months, I would've finished my training by that time, and it's not that far away I can endure the fatigue"

"okay then but do not say I didn't warn you when you wither in pain later" Conscious stated as she began to fade away in the darkness, slowly I began to feel some solid ground beneath my footing. Closing my eyes I slid my foot back and forth to make sure I was defiantly standing on solid ground, as I was sure of it I opened my eyes to see a bright light and found myself standing in a middle of a forest, a forest that I was familiar with, it was the same forest that I used to train in by the border of LA MONTA and LA CAMA HADAS.

"I give up" a voice that sound like mine but only it was younger, turning around I came to see an image of a younger version of myself sitting on the ground crossing my arms over my chest with Miles-san training on my Haki, the 15 year old me was wearing a green tank top with black shorts and calf length boots, a metal bracelet on my left bicep and one long diamond shaped earing similar to the one I am wearing on my left ear, my hair was longer and wavier kept in high ponytail leaving my fringe and two long strands to frame my face, and my body was less developed than it is now and I was shorter.

"shut it and focus now" Miles-san yelled punching my head, I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, the younger me rubbed her head and puffed her cheeks "but it's impossible I cant do it, my head hurts like hell" she told Miles-san as she stood up, I tilted my head wondering what on earth was she training me

"listen brat, mastering your Haōshoku Haki is important now take a deep breath and concentrate, this is only perfected by experience and cannot be learned" Miles-san ordered

"hai, hai" my younger self waved her hand in the air as she stood up, causing a vein to appear on Miles-san's forehead, for some reason I seemed to lack motivation, "listen if you don't do this properly I will be sure to lock up the sake away for 1 month" Miles-san threatened and I couldn't help but chuckle at this, being with the 'outside world' the legal age for drinking was higher than Magi, back at my home down the legal age was 13.

"I will do anything but please don't lock it up" the younger me pleaded, as she hugged Miles-san's legs with fake tears pouring from her eyes

"well, well, well what do we have here" a male's voice was heard from behind me, I turned around and spotted Lyle-nii-sama approaching us with his hands extended as if he was trying to hug me "my favorite little sister training on her Haki control" he stated, his messy spiky black hair flying in all directions

"Ōji" the younger me yelled as she leaped into Lyle's arms, holding me tightly he spun me around a few times before letting me on the ground, back then next to him I looked like a shrimp, even now if I stood next to him he was still tall and it didn't help with his muscular build, but then looking at my younger self she was less developed and shorter than most girls her age.

'_so my development was slow since I was young, my luck_' I though as I watched Miles-san scold Lyle as he flung his arm around my shoulder and stated goofing around, the thought of how I remembered him and seeing this made me laugh, he did mature in some ways but always the same guy beneath that .

"then I will teach her" Lyle suggested catching my attention, the lazy ass Lyle that I know is going to teach me, I saw Miles-san raise a brow and placed a hand on her hip "trust me, I know how to teach her using her Haōshoku Haki in a simply way her mind can comprehend quickly" he stated

"what makes you think that, we've been at it for two days she just lack's control and doesn't know what limit she can use, she can barely summon it" Miles-san replied

"trust me Miles-san, I can help her" Lyle argued "give me a week and you will see how far I taught her"

"maybe I should give it a try, after all not all people learn at the same pace" the younger me joined the conversation as she stood next to Lyle, again I couldn't help but laugh at how short I was

"fine" Miles-san growled as she gave in, the younger me jumped and hugged Lyle's in happiness and rejoice "but if you fail to show any progress I'm still locking the sake up for a month"

"not if I master it in a week you cant" the younger me poked her tongue out and teased Miles-san. "no one can master Haōshoku Haki in a week, let alone a month" Miles-san stated as she glared at me "try and argue with me once more and you can kiss the sake goodbye for 3 months" she growled as a dark aura began to surround her, "yes mam" the younger me gulped as she hid behind Lyle, I couldn't help but shudder at the image '_Miles-san I really scary_' I thought.

"by the time I will come back I want you to show at least some progress" Miles-san turned around shoving one hand into the pocket of her brown jeans and waving the other in the air. "a tattoo" the younger me muttered to herself as she saw a tattoo on Miles-san's back above her right hip, but couldn't make the exact shape as her beige jacket would move along with Miles-san's movement and cover the tattoo, but looking at her now I saw that it was on the shape of a clover flower. "since when does Miles-san have a tattoo on her back" the younger me asked Lyle as Miles-san left the ground.

"I don't know, but I think it looked like a flower or something" Lyle answered as he patted my shoulder "now let's go and train on your Haki"

"yes sir" the younger me smiled and mock saluted before running after Lyle who was walking ahead of me "ne, Ōji" the younger me asked as she held his hand, looking at our backs it was like our relationship was real, as if we were actually related by blood "I told you not to call me that, just Lyle would be fine" he sighed.

"okay Lyle-nii-sama" the younger me pouted "even though saying Ōji sounds way better-" but couldn't finish her sentence as Lyle landed a punch on her head "what was that for" I whined as I rubbed my head and releasing my hold on his hand

"just because" Lyle replied lazily as he shoved his hands in the pocket of his jacket, the fur of his hood and the metal chain attached to the loop of his pants, along with the way he looked forward and his half lidded eyes Lyle did look more matured and cooler than the one I knew, he was not some idiot that looked like he lived on the streets but rather a mature and handsome prince, though one could question his attitude towards his duties.

"just because?" the younger me furiously asked and stomped on Lyle's leg causing him to yelp and jump in pain. "even though you sound cool you still are an idiot" she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side as if she was angry

"Anna" he sighed as he sat on the ground crossing his legs as he ordered me to sit next to him, obeying his orders the younger me sat next to him looking at the ground "why are you mad, is it because of me or the training" he asked, but the younger me just shook her head, "then tell me I will listen, that's what big brothers are for"

"it's just that I'm failing to keep my word, I promised the people of Flores that I will leave the country at around the same age my mother was exiled but they laughed at me saying it's impossible, then I made a vow to be at the outside world defiantly by the time I turned 18" the younger me sighed as she lifted her head and looked at the sky "if thing's go for me at this rate, I will be 21 and still be stuck in this country and you would've been passed on as king" she drew her knees up to her chest – though they were still crossed – and wrapped her arms around them

"it's not this rate, it's just that you lack motivation" Lyle stated as he tried to cheer the 15 year old me "if you work hard everyday and exceed your limit, a years worth training can be done in 6 months"

"it's not my magic training, I already finished it two months ago" the younger me stated as she let her legs fall back town and began plucking the grass "it's just my Haki training, Miles-san said that I'm supposed to be a natural at Haōshoku but I just don't get it and maybe she is wrong and I need years worth practice"

"no, what she said is right" Lyle stated as he pulled out a cigarette from his breast pocket and used a spell to create fire thus lighting his cigarette, exhaling the first smoke he sighed "you are a natural at Haōshoku, you've got the qualities of a king but you don't know what your limit is, that's why" he placed a hand on one of his thighs as he stood up and dusted his pants "you need a king to teach you on how far your limit extends to"

"how could I forget" the younger me chuckled "in a year time you would turn 24 and crowned as successor and finally go into the leading business, so then I would have to call you Ōji" she poked her tongue out teasing him

"but for now call me Lyle and lose the nii-sama" he stated lazily and gestured for her to follow him, jumping from the ground the younger me ran to his side and crossed her arms behind her back as she walked next to him at the same pace

"so Lyle-nii" the younger me asked as she looked up to him. "hnn" he replied lazily still looking at the route ahead, "what kind of training are you going to put me through" she asked slowing her pace and walking slightly behind him

"we are here" Lyle stated as he came to a sudden halt, causing me to bump into him. "oww" the younger me whined in pain as she rubbed her nose, "hey watch where you are going" she yelled at him, and I couldn't help but laugh at this

"it's not my fault you are a shrimp" he stated lazily, his eyes getting more lidded

"I'm not a shrimp, you are just way too tall what are you 210cm and I don't know" she argued "just you wait when I will hit puberty I will be just as tall as you"

"actually I'm 212cm and you will not be as tall as me, I reckon in the 160's since you are what 130cm" he stated before bursting into laughter "you are 15 and you yet didn't hit puberty man you are a kid"

"s-shut up and for the record I'm 142" the younger me stuttered as she turned crimson red, but that didn't stop Lyle from laughing. I watched the scene now understanding why my body was less developed and laughed at how stupid I looked and sounded, but then I stopped as I heard the sniffing of my younger self

"oi, oi don't cry I was joking" Lyle yelled as he panicked over me crying "Anna look at me, don't cry please just don't cry, you know I didn't mean it" he tried to comfort me but she didn't stop only that tears began to fall this time

"I will never turn into a woman, I will always be a kid" she cried as she hugged Lyle who crouched down to be at her eye level, "women never cry, kids do so I suggest you stop crying" Lyle rubbed my head trying to comfort my younger self

"but I" I sniffed once again as I pulled myself from Lyle's hold and rubbed the tears away "I'm different than girls my age, they all look taller have breasts, boyfriends, they wear dresses and put make up on and-"

"but they are not Kings" he cut me off, earning my younger and current self's attention "yes most girl are all that but you are not like other girls, what is so bad in being different huh?"

"people look at me differently and-"

"so let them look and when you will rule over them they will beg for your forgiveness, and let the other girls say what they want but do they have the power and magic you have, obviously not" he stated, and my younger self nodded in agreement while I listened carefully, his words began to get to me as well "out there in the world only 1 in a million have the ability of a King, that's just how rare it is and it's even more rare to find a female who can rule over people"

"Lyle-nii" my younger self muttered in astonishment as Lyle approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders caressing them with his thumb "now tell me, how many girls out there your age have high heels let's say 9 in 10 that's like a lot, but you are a 1 in a million that's extraordinary, you are extraordinary" he stated

"so I have Haōshoku Haki but I can't use it" the younger me stated as she pursed her lips tightly

"let me ask you this, do you know what a punch is" he asked and the younger me nodded "do you know how to do one" the younger me once again nodded "how strong is your punch, a raw punch not with magic or Haki"

"it can at least break a tree down" she stated as she looked at Lyle wondering why he asked her those questions

"do they know what a punch is" he asked and the younger me nodded "do they know how to punch a person or a thing" this time she shook her head "are they afraid of getting punched"

"duh? Obviously they cower in fear specially when the hit is aimed at their faces" the younger me shrugged "but what does this have to do with being different" she asked

"A. you can do thing's they cant like punching, B. you are a strong independent person who has the qualities of a king C. you are my little sister, and they would kill to be you" he stated with his thumb and index bended inside leaving his three remaining fingers to give his point "so you have a week to show however is picking on you the power of a King and a good punch in the face, and make them submit to you but first you need to train on your control"

"how did you know about the kids who harass me?" she asked, looking at the ground I remembered the looks I was given, looks of disgust and hate, but out here in the open I received looks of love and admiration, this shows just how the people of magi are racist.

"I'm the prince of Magi, I know what I want to know" he stated as he let his cigarette drop to the floor and extinguished it by the heel of his shoe "the next time any of those brat's try and harass you, just knock them unconscious or force them to submit to you or give them a Haki and magic imbedded punch in the face and be sure to break the nose, and I'm amazed at you?"

"why?" the younger me asked causing me to smile, it felt great to know that Lyle is somehow proud of me

"because you called those bullies kids, even though they are the same age or perhaps older than you" he started, "I called them kids" my younger self continued, "yes you called them kids, that is one of the qualities that makes you a King, Miles-san says that you need experience to control you Haki, I say screw her what you need is the strength and ability to believe and make people submit to you" he stated as he poked my chest lightly where my heart would be "trust and believe in yourself and everything will be easier"

"okay then let's start my training" the younger me pumped her fists in the air with newfound determination and a wide grin as she closed her eyes, causing Lyle to chuckle and ruffle her hair

"lesson 1: believing and having confidence in yourself, check" Lyle stated as he made his finger tick the air, as if it was a pen and the air was a check box. The younger me tilted her head in confusion, but I knew what he meant by lesson 1 because Ace just scolded me at my lack of confidence, "lesson 2: choosing your subjects" Lyle stated now this time he earned my confusion

"subjects?"

"yes subjects" Lyle replied as the younger me sat on the ground and crossed her legs, using her hands as means of support against her calf's while leaning forward. "they are the weak willed citizens that serve under you" he continued as he folded his arms behind his back and walked back and forth like a teacher would "now choosing them you will have to use your judgmental abilities"

"judgmental abilities"

"now around us are several animals and forest beasts, I want you to concentrate and pick out two animals that you can tame, I don't mean like big beasts let's say rabbits" he stated "I want you to focus your mind on finding two rabbit's"

"done" the younger me said as she located the place of the two rabbit's using Kenbunshoku no Haki"

"through Haki, not magic"

"yeah through Kenbunshoku" she shrugged

"okay now I want you to close your eyes and focus your spirit in knocking out only them" Lyle bent down to where I was sitting and rested his hand on my head "I want you to focus real hard, and I want you to show no signs of using Haki"

focusing hardly my younger self closed her eyes began to gather some spirit as she released it all in one go, not only did she knock out the two rabbit's but the other animals and beasts by them as she made Lyle also feel her Haki, frowning she looked at the mess she caused

"it's good for a first try" Lyle cheered her up and patted her shoulder "but when you tried to knock them out with Miles-san your range was further, meaning you were able to control your range to not go past those rabbit's"

"is that a good thing or a bad thing"

"it's good" Lyle smiled as he stood up and looked at the mess "this proves that you are a natural, this is your first try with me teaching you and you almost got the range under control"

"range"

"yeah, those rabbit's were about 10 meters away and you knocked out every animal and beast within a 10 meter radius, not a single cm more or less"

"then wouldn't it be better if I train on my radius or range control whatever it is first" the younger me asked as she stood up

"well…" Lyle started after some time of thinking "I guess radius control was suppose to be lesson 2 rather than 3"

I looked at him with questioning eyes, radius control comes before 'subjects' as he calls it. I need to know to how far limit extends before picking out the people, smiling I got a glimpse of my Haōshoku Haki and perhaps I would be able to use it in the outer world.

"okay lesson 2 or 3: radius control starts now" the younger me jumped as Lyle whistled and caused some beasts to appear "range?" she asked, "5.67 meters" Lyle smiled as my younger self nodded and began to gather her spirit.

Suddenly the projection was cut off and I was back into the dark room as a film of images began to slide quickly showing images of my time training with Lyle, grabbing my head in pain as it began to throb by every piece of information I began to scream as some memories appeared inside of my mind. By every passing second the faster the memories come, the more pictures decorated the room, and the more I learned about myself, the pain of having my memories was unbearable.

Finally as the last image entered my mind, I fell on my knees on the ground as I used my hands as means of support and panted hardly, sweat covering my face and tears falling from my eyes, my brain was about to burst open from a month's worth memories, I was shaking madly from what I had discovered, the new techniques I could use. Lifting my head slightly I noticed that the room was colored like a forest with trees and grass and that there was a brown door at my left, '_that must be the exit_' I thought as I pushed myself up and walked towards the door, turning the knob and pushing the door open I met a bright blinding light causing me to close my eyes tightly and shield them with my hands.

* * *

**A/N: if some of you are wondering if i made a spelling mistake with Asuna's name it's not, it's just that Lyle calls her _Anna_ instead of Asuna, it's his nickname for her, a brotherly thing**


	50. bullies

**A/N: update #4, perhaps the last and the name of this chapter had been written randomly because I am leaving the house, you might've noticed that those recent chaprers are long but right now I'm focusing on writing a certain plot for each chapter rather than a 2000 -3000 word limit but I still try to keep a limit, well I have to leave so enjoy**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 48: bullies**

**third person POV**

Ace sat with most of the crew in the galley eating something or chattering, next to him was Marco and Haruta, the blonde kept bugging them about how much fun he had the night before, the two commanders were having a headache at how happy Marco was. "Marco don't you have anything to talk about other than last night we are sick of your perverted thought's" Haruta growled and as she turned to face him, sighing Ace folded his arm on the table and rested his chin giving off a lazy expression.

"didn't sleep last night yoi" Marco teased, as he pushed Haruta and poked his tongue out at Ace

"not interested" the young commander replied lazily his mind wondering off as he created circles with his finger against the table

"I see you had fun last night as well didn't you" Marco teased as he drank his sake

"no Marco we didn't do anything last night" Ace growled as he lifted his head "and if we did we wouldn't go around and telling everyone about it, I'm not a pervert like you"

"ouch" Marco faked an 'I'm hurt' tone "seriously you guys do nothing" he asked apparently missing the vein popping on the young commander's forehead, Haruta noticing it slid down slowly because she knew Ace is going to jump at Marco any second now

"SHUT UP" Ace slammed his hands against the table real hard as he stood up glaring at Marco, earning the attention of everyone and a complete dead silence except for a thud as one of the weak crewmembers fell unconscious.

"y " Marco couldn't complete his word as he pointed at the unconscious man, thinking it was Ace unleashing his Haōshoku Haki but only one man was knocked out, which was odd.

"Oi, what's wrong wake up" another of the weaker members approached the unconscious man shaking him in attempt to wake him up

"is he dead" another asked

"there's no way he is dead, he was alright just a few seconds ago" a third person argued as he slammed his hand on the table defending his friend. Suddenly another two men fell unconscious and the people began to panic, Marco glared at Ace presuming that he is responsible but that didn't seem the case as Ace was getting concerned as well.

'_this is the Haōshoku no Haki, there is no mistake about it but who is releasing it if not Ace_' he thought as he heard five more people fall unconscious, looking around that it was the very weakest who fell first and then slowly the second and third weakest began to fall. "relax they are just unconscious they will wake up soon" Marco reassured the panicking men, he turned to look at Ace and Haruta who were wearing concerned and worried expressions.

"Marco, Haruta, Ace" Izo called as he stood by the door "Ōyaji is looking for us, he called all of the commanders apparently members are falling unconscious everywhere"

"so it's not just here" Haruta asked as she walked towards the door along with Marco and Ace "who is present at the meeting room?" she asked as Izo walked next to them

"you three are the only one's left" the cross dressing commander replied as he pushed one of the doors open, and through a set of hallways until they finally reached to a room with a long table and around it sitting was the rest of the commanders along with Whitebeard.

"what's wrong Ōyaji?" Haruta asked as she took her respective seat, so did the other three commanders

"it doesn't seem that any of you know who is releasing this burst of Haki" Whitebeard started "and since all of you are gathered here that leaves one person"

"who?" Izo asked curious, who could that one person whitebeard thinks is unleashing this power. Though whitebeard didn't get the chance to answer as a huge burst of Haki knocked most of the crewmembers unconscious and the user was known to almost everyone, "Asuna can use Haōshoku no Haki" Izo tilted his head.

"she does?" Ace asked in confusion as he looked at whitebeard, who placed his bottle of sake on the table and sighed

"apparently, and that is the same habit as her father" Whitebeard replied "where is she now and what is she doing?"

"Elisa-chan is holding her for an hour and a half for therapy, something about helping her regain her memories and asked for us to keep our distance" Ace answered, receiving a chuckle from whitebeard "gurarara, that's why no one is bothering me"

"but they should've been finished by now almost more than two hours have passed since you said that no one is allowed to disturb them" Jozu stated, bored as he looked at Ace whose face turned into that of horror and disgust, the same with Haruta. Slamming his hands on the table Ace gritted his teeth "so you are telling me that I spend almost two fucking hours listening to that pervert's bullshit" he growled and pointed at Marco

"watch your mouth Ace, this is no way to talk with your comrades" Vista stated but was shocked when he heard another pair of hands and gritted teethes slamming the table, he turned around to see Haruta fuming "two hours of hearing you and your dirty mind, two damn hours of getting poison poured into me ears, huh Marco" she glared at the blond "don't let him get away" she yelled as she jumped on the table and rushed towards Marco

"I'm on it" Ace yelled as he began to run after Marco, who started running away from his fellow commanders, they chased each other around the room with Ace and Haruta swearing at Marco, most of the commanders didn't understand what was going on but Izo seemed to know what happened

"Ace, Haruta stop it" Whitebeard sighed as he massaged his temples from the headache the three commanders brought as they acted like kids.

"but Ōyaji" Haruta complained as she and Ace stopped and glared at Marco "he kept annoying us with his perverted thoughts and wouldn't stop, my head was about to burst open because of him"

"off all people you chose those two to share your thoughts with" Jozu chuckled as he crossed his arms and watched in amusement

"anyways Ace go and check on her, something bothers me after that large wave she completely stopped" Whitebeard ordered "now dismissed"

Ace was the first to leave the room with Haruta because of her anger towards Marco who was last to leave as he tried to keep a distance between them. Haruta chose to follow Ace and check on Asuna as well, as they walked quickly towards the sickbay and careful avoiding the unconscious bodies on the ground, they made their way to the infirmary, knocking the door Ace stuck his head to the door "um…guys is everything fine" he asked, but no answer. Looking at Haruta who gave him the same worried look Ace opened the door and stepped inside to see Elisa knocked unconscious and Asuna lying on the floor sweating, shivering and panting hardly her eyes half lidded.

"Asuna" Ace exclaimed as he approached her and held her in his arms "what happened, are you okay"

"I-I'm f-fine" she breathed weakly "I cant move and my head is going to burst"

"what happened" Haruta asked as she blew off the candles and helped Elisa onto the bed. lifting a shaky hand up Asuna placed the back of her hand over her eyes as she smiled weakly "it worked"

"what did" Ace asked he ran his hands over her upper arm, "the therapy, I remembered a month of my life" Asuna replied as her smile grew and let out a low chuckle at the end.

"did you remember anything useful" Ace asked as he placed his other arm under her knees and carried her up to the bed bridal style.

"other than being short and a complete badass yeah I did learn a technique or two" Asuna stated as she was placed on the bed and the blankets were brought to cover her "thank you but I'm not cold"

"that's an understatement you are an insane badass" Haruta chuckled "and why would you think you are short, your height is normal maybe a bit tall, if anyone is short it would be me"

"but a month's worth memories I expect it to be exhausting" Ace stated as he ran his finger through Asuna's hair

"exhausting?" she laughed weakly "it's anything but exhausting, I thought I was going to die, the pain is just to much"

"you're shivering" Haruta stated as she saw Asuna close her eyes and breathe heavily more like pant, her chest rising upwards and downwards quickly, "you should stay in bed and try not to move until you feel fine or at least until Elisa-chan wakes up"

"you think" Asuna teased as she locked her fingers with Ace's "my body aches and I don't have the strength to move around, I'm just really drained to do anything"

"it's going to be alright" Ace reassured her as he brought her hands up to his lips and lightly kissed the back of her hand causing Asuna to blush "get some rest and when you feel like you are fine then you can move"

"are you going somewhere" Asuna asked in a childish tone. Smiling Haruta left the two couple alone and went to the deck to help move the unconscious men.

"I'm afraid I have to help up, you kind of knocked out most of our men and we have to clean that up" Ace stated

"that's weird" Asuna laughed nervously "what I remembered is me training on my Haōshoku Haki"

"so that was the technique or two you said you remembered" Ace smirked knowing that sooner or later he will see them "anyways no one is going to blame you…you were unconsciously using it" he sighed as he stood up and poked her cheeks "rest up well" with that he left the room. '_thank you_' Asuna thought to herself as she turned around and hid behind the blanket's curling up and clutching her arms to stop shivering, not able to take it any longer Asuna loosened up and hugged the pillow closing her eyes attempting to fall asleep.

Opening her eyes slowly Asuna took notice of her different surroundings, pushing herself up and rubbing her eyes she looked around to figure where she is, '_this is_' she thought as she looked around once again '_Ace's room?_', inhaling the scent she was definite that it was his room, looking at the window she noticed the sky turning red. Pushing her legs off from the bed and onto the ground she attempted to stand up and walk to the bathroom, Asuna stumbled slightly as she felt off balanced and the world spinning '_my head hurts_' she thought as she clutched her forehead while the other was used as means of support against the desk, ignoring it she took her storage and walked to the bathroom using the wall to help her keep her balance.

Filling her palms with water she splashed it over her face before looking at her reflection – dark circles and puffy eyes, shaking her head she splashed her face once again and washed it before closing the doors and locking them, '_a quick shower should help_' she thought as she slid into the glass doors of the shower as she opened the tap and let the water pour on her and run against her skin. Feeling dizzy she held to the glass from falling down '_a bathtub would've been better_' she thought as closed the tap and squinted some shampoo in her palms, and started scrubbing her head '_if things go like this I wont last any longer_', Asuna reopened the tap and let the water wash away the shampoo foam from her hair before quickly scrubbing the rest of her body.

Walking out of the glass door Asuna grabbed at towel rubbing her body and hair, once she was done she picked up the storage and pulled out a pair of a floral pattern white balcony bra with a central bow and lace details as well as a short style, low rise panties with the same floral pattern, lace details and central bow and a scallop trim. She put them on and flung her towel over her shoulder like a person would after finishing some workout before leaving to the room.

Sighing she laid down on the bed and bent her knees upwards bringing her heels close to her butt as she extended one arm and the other was rested over her eyes, she stayed like that for a second noticing that the spinning stopped once she laid down and relaxed. '_now I see if I think a lot my head will hurt all I need to do is relax and lay down_' Asuna thought as she let out a breath and closed her eyes to meditate perhaps it will help ease the pain but the silence didn't last long as her stomach rumbled in hunger "I'm so hungry" she whined as she patted her stomach '_the sky is getting dark I must've slept all day_' she thought

"can I come in" A female voice asked behind the door, before it was creaked open and a head was poked inside, "yo" Asuna waved a hand as she sat up straight and crossed her legs to see Elisa coming inside and closing the door from behind her

"why didn't you say something when I knocked on the door" the older female asked in a worried tone as she took a seat in front of Asuna

"you did?" Asuna tilted her head not hearing the door or that she was to busy with her stomach to notice the door

"never mind that how are you feeling"

"better just my head hurting me every now and then" Asuna smiled "but it goes when I relax and stop thinking"

"I see, we were starting to get worried about you, almost more than five hours have passed since you lost conscious, when you were at the training you began emitting Haki and when I tried to wake you, you wouldn't respond"

"sorry" Asuna cut off with a lot of guilt evident in her tone "because of me you and many crew members were knocked out"

"you didn't know at the time " but Elisa wasn't able to continue her sentence as Asuna's stomach rumbled again causing the older female to laugh "well dinner is almost ready today it's going to be early since we didn't have much of lunch"

"thank god I'm starving" Asuna replied as she jumped from the bed and pulled out a black baggy hoodie and some Jorts with tear marks at the bottom, a pair of black flip flops and she tied her hair in a high loose messy bun.

"that was fast" Elisa stated noticing at how quick the girl changed "and messy, at least comb your hair"

"I'm hungry besides " Asuna yawned and stretched her arms "I will eat and return to sleeping, that is if I don't get caught by Ace's narcolepsy and sleep in my food"

"so how did it go, Ace told me you remembered a month of your life" Elisa asked as she stood up and walked with the girl out of the room

"yeah, well I was in this place and saw a person who looked like me, she told me that the older the memories the more strain and damage my mind will receive, I asked for a memory from 5 years ago and well the price was heavy but worth it"

"so you learned anything useful"

"well yeah, I had a recent image of my family how they looked like five years ago at least it's better than the one from 10 years ago, I found out that I was short as a kid and that I hit puberty late and that I can use Haōshoki Haki in fight's"

"well that's good, tomorrow we repeat the session but chose an earlier date leave the older memories for when you take the pill, your mind wont take the damage"

"I know what I want to remember next but at this rate how long will it take, well at least remembering the past three years"

"if it's a month per session I would say that's 12 into 3 years which is 36 days until you remember them" Elisa concluded as she cupped her chin and calculated in her mind "but we have to keep in mind that sometimes it might take longer than a month and at others less"

"it's alright, we will think about it later but first I want to eat" Asuna sighed as she hurried towards the deck, greeting a few members on her way she smiled and noticed that no one minded that she had knocked them out.

"what's wrong" Elisa asked Asuna who just stood in front of the door leading to the galley, where everyone is sitting and eating their early dinner, she noticed Asuna's sad expression as if she was worried of getting bad mouthed or angry at, smiling Elisa patted Asuna's shoulder "it will be alright I told you already we didn't mind"

"just my worries and guilt" Asuna shrugged as she opened the door to be greeted by the rowdy mess of people eating, and people don't seem to notice her, she spotted Ace sitting at the commanders table away from Marco which was weird since they were like best friends, she noticed him and Haruta glaring at the blonde every now and then, shrugging she ignored their weird behavior and walked towards them and sat next to Ace.

The young commander didn't notice her sitting next to him as he was so engrossed with his own food, resting her arm on the table she leaned and watched him in amusement before her stomach growled, again Ace didn't notice her but others did which caused her to blush crimson red, extending her arm to grab one of his meat sticks then did Ace notice her presence as he caught her wrist mid-way and squeezed it tightly, "get your hands off" he growled not looking and squeezing it tighter

"oww" Asuna hissed now catching his attention, as Ace turned around and his eyes widened and released his grip on her immediately, "what was that for" she asked as she rubbed her hand

"sorry I didn't mean it, I thought you were someone else" he replied as he looked down at it guiltily, some of the more curious members looked at the two of them cautiously, "does it hurt" he asked as he was about to grab her hand

"it's fine, you didn't notice " her stomach growled once again now everyone in the room heard her, Asuna felt embarrassed as she turned a thousand folds red and began to fiddle with the hem of her hoodie and tears began to gather in her eyes, but she didn't expect to be showered with many plates "umm…thank you but isn't that a lot of well food for one person"

"never mind besides, you have Ace next to you and he will steal your food" one of the members stated and was followed with nods and 'yeses' of agreement

"no he wont" Asuna stated as she turned around to look at Ace "you wont steal any of my food are you?" she asked in a deadly tone with the same aura surrounding her. Ace gulped and shook his head, he could've sworn that he saw her eyes glow for a second there, "see I told you so" she replied energetically causing everyone to sweatdrop.

"so how are you feeling now" Haruta asked as she pointed at one of the dishes in front of Asuna, the blonde nodded allowing the brunette to take the dish

"better at least" Asuna replied eating an entire bowl of rice in a instant, Haurta sweatdropped at how her eating behavior is similar to Ace's antics, turning around she poked Ace and looked at him questioningly "why did you let me sleep through lunch" she asked "you know I didn't eat that much for breakfast"

"well we didn't have much of a lunch" Ace replied with his mouth full, he paused and gulped down all of thee food before continuing "and you were sleeping heavily that's why when Elisa-chan woke up she told me to move you someplace quieter so you can sleep, and I didn't think you wanted me to wake you up or anyone interrupt you "

"well you do have a point" Asuna shrugged and continued eating in silence, she kept looking at her plates and not once did she lift her head up, she also was eating rather slowly and half heartedly after a while, playing with the fork and her pasta she placed the fork down at stood up from her seat "thanks for the meal" she replied exhaustion apparent in her tone

"are you feeling alright" Ace asked as he looked up from his meal to Asuna, Haruta gave Ace a worrying glance as she looked to the blonde

"yeah I'm perfectly fine, it's just that I'm feeling sleepy that's all" Asuna faked a smile and gave out a nervous laugh as she waved her hands in the air, Ace and the rest of the commanders were able to see through her act and could tell something was bothering the young female "if you want anything you know where to find me" she pointed at the door before leaving

"take care" Haruta waved as she watched Asuna's retreating back, once she was out of sight most of the commanders shared worrying glance's with Ace being the most worried, sighing he returned to his meal "it's no use worrying about it, she will tell us eventually" he stated as he started eating his nth plate.

Walking across the halls of the Moby Dick Asuna greeted everyone she encountered with a fake smile, she walked until a big figure was heading towards her "old man Whitebeard, good evening" she greeted with a smile

"kid" he replied as he looked down at her "go get some rest you look tired" he pointed out as he walked past the girl and towards the galley. Asuna lost her smile to a frown as she looked down to the ground "he noticed" she muttered to herself as she placed her hands in the pockets of her hoodie and walked towards the room.

Pushing the door open she walked in before closing it and threw her flip flops randomly and took off her shorts leaving them on the ground, sighing she let herself fall on the bed as she hugged the pillow "I've slept through most of the day" she muttered as she turned to her back and extended her arms looking at the ceiling "I wonder what happened when I'm out"

Asuna kept looking at the ceiling with half lidded eyes for almost fifteen minutes, she heard the door open and sat up straight to see Ace walking inside and locking the door behind him "hey" she greeted softly

"are you really okay is there something bothering you or I don't know, you seemed down at dinner" Ace asked as he took of his hat and placed it on the chair by his desk, and walked towards the bed taking off his boots by the side of the bed

"just a mild headache that's all" she smiled as Ace leaned forward and kissed her lightly before lying on the bed as well, he folded his arms behind his head and crossed his legs, "so how was your day" Asuna asked as she rested on Ace's upper arm his muscles creating a hard pillow and wrapped her arm around his torso, and placed one leg over his

"not much, except for the first two hour I left you, Marco caught me and Haruta and talked non-stop about his fun, but then you saved us from any further poison" he replied as he looked at the ceiling

"that's why you guys were sitting away from each other and you kept glaring at him" Asuna chuckled

"I've missed you today" he turned around to face her and kissed the tip of her nose "you had me worried, you looked really exhausted and you were sleeping deeply"

"it's just to much to bear, I also remembered a few things" she smiled

"you told me something about being short and a badass" Ace stated and ran his fingers softly through her hair and kept running them through his locks

"well I discovered that I was really short as fifteen year old and that I hit puberty late as I didn't have it by the time I was fifteen and a month, the kids kept teasing me about it" she started and frowned at the last part "but in the end Lyle-nii helped me beat the crap out of them"

"is that so?" Ace smirked interested in what his fiancée did when she was fifteen "did you just say Lyle-nii" he asked as he sat up straight and looked at Asuna who nodded

"I know but in what I remembered is that he demanded me to call him just Lyle and I couldn't help but add a nii at the end" Asuna rubbed the back of her head sheepishly "you seemed interested when I said I beat the bullies up"

"more like how did they bully you"

"okay so where do I start hmmm…. " Asuna placed a finger on her chin and brought her lower lip out thoughtfully

* * *

**flashback**

a young short girl with golden hair was walking along the streets of some town, ignoring the looks she received from bystanders and bypasses she continued down the road carrying a bag of groceries she had brought, the young girl would visit a certain shop once every two or three months, this town was known for making the best magical everyday items, she had a lollipop in her mouth and was humming happily.

"Oi, witch what are you doing here" a teenage girl with brown hair reaching down to her waist yelled, she was wearing a pink mini skirt, white low cut shirt revealing her belly button and black strappy high heels with white studs, along the ∞-shaped straps and along the thin heel.

"Aria isn't that a bit to kind" a teenage boy asks, he had shaggy blonde hair and wore upper class clothes, white pants tucked inside black polished boots, a black dress shirt over it was a royal blue morning coat, he spoke in a high fashioned tone British accent

"Clark is right we do not show kindness to the likes of her" another white haired boy roughly the same age as the other two replied, he wore black pants and a body fit sleeveless shirt with a white coat

"what brings you here Mongrel" a second girl with light blonde hair reaching to her upper back, she wore a knee length summer dress and had her arm relaxed on the blonde boy's shoulder

"doesn't concern you" Asuna spat back at them "now get out of my way"

"oohhhh" they teased and began to make fun, the group of six walked towards her, it was composed of two girls and four boys pretending to be some higher class men, the other two boys were twins with messy short raven hair, and looked the less stuck up as they wore beige short's with a baby blue polo-shirt, the only difference is one had black eyes while the other had blue

"thinking that you are the same age as us makes me want to laugh" the blonde, Clark teased "no rephrase that, I want to puke"

"just what do you want, I'm not in the mood for you guys" Asuna looked up to them her deadly scowl not leaving her face, as the group circled her

"just look at this hair" the woman named Aria grabbed Asuna from her hair and began to pull it around "you think you can get blonde hair and pretend to be an angel with this, please even my brown is natural"

"compared to my natural blonde I'm way prettier don't you guys think" the blonde girl chuckled "hey, I'm an idiot to compare Mongrel with me, she is only comparable with the trash"

"obviously Sonet's blonde hair is the best and it cannot be compared" the twin with the black eyes boasted, Asuna kept her glare but from the inside she was starting to get angry '_my hair isn't blond it's golden are you seriously that blind_' she thought

"what's in that bag, shrimp" the blue-eyed twin asked as he pulled the bag from Asuna

"it's not yours give it back" Asuna threw her lollipop jumped in the air to get the back but the boy was just too tall for her, cursing inwardly for her short height she was about to jump at the boy when she remembered what Miles told her '_don't pick any fight's, don't be the center of attention, and don't argue with the big kids_' puffing out her cheeks she glared at the boy "give it back" she growled

"hmm…magic items from the shop" the boy searched the bag, Asuna's eyes widened in anger, she hated people looking through her stuff

"you were about to attack him, why didn't you" the brunette asked as she flipped her hair "you scared, witch"

"you are not worth my time" Asuna replied coldly, earning a punch from the white haired boy causing blood to drop from her mouth "ehh, I didn't think you would waste a punch on the like of me" she teased

"just so you can know, my father is the mayor of this town, I can do whatever I want and get away with it" Clark grabbed Asuna from her hair and swung her around "so technically I'm like your superior when you enter this town"

"good for you" she retorted "but, no one is the boss of me other than myself"

"what's that" Clark yelled as he threw Asuna towards a brick wall, she coughed out spit as she tried to sit up straight, and rubbed her mouth from the blood earlier

"you could've only gotten those goods by stealing money, there is no way you can afford those items" the blue eyes twin stated as he finished searching Asuna's back

"Zeke confiscate those items since they are brought by stolen money" Clark ordered the blue-eyed boy whose name was apparently Zeke, and started walking towards Asuna "so just like your mother, you are a criminal"

"I didn't steal anything, this is the money I got from my missions" Asuna yelled at him, she didn't like to be compared to her mother.

"enough with the lies, mongrel" Sonet replied as she stomped on Asuna's stomach with her heel, the young girl let out a scream of pain "shut your mouth Mongrel" the blonde yelled as she stomped on Asuna even harder

"just the plain sight of you disgusts me" Aria mocked as she walked to the black eyed twin and kissed him "babe, do something about her" she asked in a girlish flirty tone

"hey Luth check this out" his brother called, Luth turned around to see Zeke holding out a _Storage_ in his hand "she brought this to keep her stolen loot from the guards"

"this is definitely going to be handy" Luth replied as he took the _Storage _and threw it in the air and caught it before putting it in the pocket of his shorts

"that was really expensive, just how much did you steal huh?" Clark asked as he walked towards Asuna who glared at him, "in the name of justice you shall be punished" he stated and started beating Asuna up, the other's as well joined in the beating

"I think this is enough to teach her a lesson to never mess with us" Clark stated as he stopped his friends "next time you ever want to come to town, make sure you've got some one to back you up, oh wait you don't have one" at his statement the group laughed

'_don't get worked up, they are not worth it, don't let them see my tears_' Asuna kept telling herself as she lied down on the ground covered with bruises and blood stains. "let's go our job here is done, and be sure to never talk back to whoever is superior or with higher status than you" Clark spat as they left

once they were gone and out of sight Asuna stood up and dusted herself, a frown decorating her face, they just stole everything she brought that was worth five months of saving, she would only spend a quarter of the money she got from her missions and the rest she would save it to buy things that were expensive, and one of the things she wanted was a _Storage_ to store her things in so Miles wouldn't complain about her wardrobe but now it was 'confiscated'

sighing Asuna walked towards the closest river to wash of before heading to home, she knew that she was going to get a lecture from Miles but what worried her most was the bruises on her stomach. Asuna looked at the ground the whole time she headed towards the river, for the first time her frown lasted this long.

Dipping her hand in the stream and splashing the water on her face, Asuna washed her face from the blood and dirt, as she lifted her head up she saw Skye standing on the other side of the river her eyes wide open, '_crap_' Asuna thought as she saw Skye freeze the river and run to Asuna

"what happened" she asked as she shook Asuna noticing how she was covered in blood and bruises, she also took not on the frown on her face rather than the smile

"nothing" Asuna denied as she turned her head to the side, "I just got into a fight that's all" she lifted her hand up and pushed Skye's hand from her shoulder

"what kind of fight will make you frown" Skye raised an eyebrow at how her little sister was acting

"it doesn't matter they took everything and why do you care" Asuna yelled as she ran from Skye into the forest, the older girl looked at the direction Asuna ran of to with worry.

A month had passed and Asuna was back in town smiling with a new set of determination and confidence, maybe she had grown an inch or two but she didn't care, because with her newfound mastery over her Haki and Lyle's order to beat up any bully had her going, she just wanted to meet those assholes to beat them up and get her items back.

"didn't we tell you not to come back, Mongrel" Sonet yelled as she leaned on the wall, looking slutty as always, her friends let out roars of laughter and high fived each other

"sorry but I don't follow the orders of stuck ups" Asuna replied coldly "as a matter of fact I don't follow orders from anyone"

"watch that tongue of yours and do you know who you are talking to" Clark growled, Asuna raised and eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip

"and who would that be" she mocked

"just so you know Clark is the son of the mayor, he can have you arrested for this" Aria boasted as she flung her hair around

"good to know, I just wants the things you stole back Mr. Mayor's son" she sighed her hands in the pocket of her jacket

"us steal, what an unbelievable accusation " Luth gasped "well that's what criminals do, they blame others of their crimes"

"shut it" Asuna growled, if they said anything about her mother once again she will not hold back

"don't tell us what to do Mongrel" Sonet argued as she twisted a lock of her in her finger

"I said shut it" Asuna growled unleashing a low wave of Haki as her pupils contracted giving the appearance that her glowed, instantly the girls were knocked out and the boys froze and shivered.

"wh-what d-did you do" Clark stuttered and had a difficult time to speak

"give back the items that you stole and I will let you go" Asuna offered, Clark could only nod and signaled to the other boys to return what they stole, after five minutes they came back with her belonging, giving them to Asuna she took the bag and glared at them

"you will regret this" Clark yelled, turning around Asuna looked at him her pupils contracting again as she spoke "you are not going to tell anyone about this, if you do stab your leg got it, same goes to you" she told them before knocking them out using her Haōshoku Haki

**end flashback**

* * *

"and then he tried to tell on me but stabbed himself, then they never bothered me again" Asuna concluded her story with a proud smile, Ace chuckled and kissed her forehead "now that is what I call a lesson about bullying" he commented

"you should've seen the looks on their faces they were irreplaceable" Asuna stated as she wrapped her hands around Ace's torso, they were now lying on bed in each others arms

"and this is why you are my little devil" Ace stated as he pulled the blankets over them, seeing how sleepy Asuna was, her eyes were half lidded and couldn't last any longer

"you know, Marco is looking at us through the window" Asuna stated as she rested her head on Ace's chest and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep instantly

"we will deal with him tomorrow" Ace replied as he closed the side lamp, and hugged Asuna as she was sleeping heavily, knowing another heartbreaking piece of her childhood he just wanted to go to her hometown and beat up anyone who made her sad. He just laid there thinking for a while before he decided to got to bed himself, resting his head atop of Asuna's he fell asleep as well.

* * *

**A/N: well I think this might be my last update since the next chapter is still unfinished, though I will be travelling I will write on my ipad and update as soon as I find some way to post this chapter hopefully I will find a business centre somewhere but until then hang on tight. See you later, peace out :p**


	51. 7th day & news of Luffy

**A/N: update #5 and last, i know in the previous chapter i said i didn't finish this but as soon as i got home i completed it, so this is now officially the last update, i have about 4 hours to sleep before i have to get ready, i stayed all night to write this currently it's dawn and the sun is going to rise in a few minutes in my time zone. enjoy and dont forget to review**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 49: 7th day & news of Luffy**

"morning" Asuna greeted Ace as he woke up, she stood by the bathroom door dressed in a navy blue bikini top with a white bow around her neck and mid-thigh shorts, white stockings reaching up to her thighs and dark blue knee-high boots, her hair was combed straight and fell over her shoulders.

"you seem awfully cheerful today" he stated as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, Asuna just smiled and walked towards him sitting in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her more like she kissed him good morning "so mind telling me what's gotten you so happy" he asked

"today one week would've passed and I could take those pills to help me regain my memory" Asuna replied as she played with Ace's black locks in her fingers

"one week huh?" he asked as he looked down, one week have passed though it felt like months have, Asuna had regained a little of her memory, she got mad over what Ace did during their first meeting and gave him the silent treatment for an entire day, she focused on getting memories between a year to three years ago, mostly about her and Ace.

"it felt like a month" she replied as she leaned her forehead to touch his, "you know something, the other day I heard you and Marco discussing about you returning to your mission, and you said you might stay one week"

"so that's why you said you wanted to stay" Ace asks as he stroked his thumb against her cheek

"I hoped that I would've regained my memories in a few days but that wasn't the case, I wanted to spend more time with you"

"hey don't give me that face, now go get your therapy over so we can spend some time together" Ace stated as he lightly pushed Asuna off of him and removed the blankets getting out of bed, "besides I might leave tomorrow or the day after, but as per your wishes I'm spending my day with you, only you"

"then I will be with Eli-chan, I will do an hour today" Asuna stated as she jumped off the bed and quickly kissed Ace at his jaw, apparently she had gotten taller for some unknown reason and didn't need to stand on her toes to kiss his jaw, her hair also grew an inch or two, now always falling over her shoulders, but everything else stayed the same.

"see you then" Ace waved as Asuna skipped off to the deck where Elisa is probably scolding whitebeard, and the old man just wanted Asuna to come quickly so she can take Elisa away. Smiling Asuna pushed the doors to the deck and hurried to Elisa, bumping into Marco in the process.

"whoa slow down, Asuna" Marco told her as he helped her up, after the other night when Marco spied on them through the window he received a well beating from Ace, Vista, Haruta who wanted to have revenge over her wasted two hours, Izo and Elisa as an angry girl friend, she also gave him the silent treatment for two days until he managed to explain to her his reasons for doing so, which was that he needed to have something to blackmail Asuna if she ever blackmailed him or Elisa.

"I'm just a bit excited" she replied and hurried to Elisa "hey White-Ossan, I will take Eli-chan for today" she greeted and pulled the nurse with her pink outfit towards the sickbay

"what's with the excitement Asuna" Elisa asked as she was hurled inside the sickbay, today was different Asuna was over enthusiastic about her therapy today

"I get to take the pills today" Asuna replied smiling as she sat on the bed

"that was it, I thought you were excited about your therapy" Elisa sighed as she walked towards the cupboard and pulled out the pills, and some bottle of oxygenated water, taking the pills and water Asuna gulped them down before sitting on the floor and starting her usual routine.

An hour passed and Asuna opened her eyes, looking at Elisa who sat at the desk writing some stuff down, "I'm back" she replied, a faint blush apparent on her cheeks, Elisa took not of that and looked at her taking of the glasses she was wearing

"so how did it go" she asked

"well today I just remembered a day" Asuna replied "the older the memories the less I can remember but I remembered what I want, and that's enough"

"you are blushing mad" Elisa stated

"well I'm just slightly embarrassed by what I remembered, I cant believe how stupid I was" Asuna stated as she walked towards the door "okay bye" she replied energetically and left, using her haki and nose she pin pointed Ace in the galley, rushing towards him she stopped at the door remembering how stupid she looked a week and a few days ago, how she embarrassed herself during the fourth day of the games.

"what's wrong Asuna you are crimson red" Izo asked as he walked past Asuna who froze in place

"I'm an embarrassment, I cant believe I'm so stupid and yet Ace he didn't mind" Asuna replied, sighing Izo grabbed her and pushed her towards Ace

"stop, what are you doing" Asuna argued as she was seated next to Ace, sitting on the chair she clasped her hands together and pushed them down the table in embarrassment, some of the crew who were sitting nearby wondered what caused her to be this much embarrassed

"hone, is something wrong, you are red" Ace asked with a pie in his mouth as he looked at Asuna, her eyes were glued on the table wide open, her ears red from embarrassment

"can you remove that plate please" she asked in a squeaky tone, hesitantly not knowing what's gotten to her he removed the plate and saw her make a low sharp cry an _EEEEEE_ sound as she began banging her headed on the table "I'm such an embarrassment, I'm a total klutz" she kept saying

"hey, hey stop that" Ace asked as he tried to stop the girl from hitting herself, using force he managed to hold her back "look at me, look at me" he asked as he cupped her face in his hands, Asuna pouted but looked at him "what's gotten in to you, why do you keep saying you're an embarrassment" he asked as he rubbed the red spot on her forehead

leaning to him Asuna whispered to him about how she acted during the fourth day of the games, and how stupid she was, "haha that's it" he chuckled as Asuna nodded and hid her face in his neck "you were not stupid" he stated as he wrapped his arms around her back and the other patted her head "you were adorable on that day"

"oh shut up, just say that at some point during that day you were angry at me" Asuna ordered

"okay maybe but my anger was directed at those men" Ace stated, "I cant believe I'm going to say this out loud" he stated as he looked up to the ceiling "on that day I was a bit j-jealous " he admitted

"I know you were" Asuna chuckled as she lifted her head and kissed his neck, the people in the room could watch in envy, most of them had freaked out when earlier that weak when someone tried to touch Asuna, Ace had gotten angry and over protective and told them not to touch his girl, thus telling them of their relationship which is why everyone is avoiding getting involved in such actions with the young girl.

"hey guys" Izo greeted as he sat next to them placing a plate of salad he picked from the buffet and passed Asuna a plate of pie, tart and salad "I thought I would get you some since you seemed, glued to the chair" he stated as if he read Asuna's thought's

"thanks Izo-chan" Asuna smiled before digging into her plate. For the next 15 minutes they sat eating in an awkward silence neither of them speaking, for some reason time seemed to slow down around them, putting his plate down Ace stood up and looked at Asuna who just finished her custard tart, he was about to head for the buffet but Asuna held his hand "I heard there would be a feast for lunch so I suggest you leave some space there" she told Ace as she released her hold

"feast" at that moment Ace stopped in his tracks and turned around his eyes turned into meat sticks causing Asuna to sweatdrop but nodded, helping her up he dragged her up to deck

"where are we going" she asked as she met the sunrays as they stood up at the deck

"since it's a feast, we are going to fish" he told her as he ordered someone to get him a fishing rod

"well they have a lot of meat " but Asuna couldn't complete the sentence as she was silenced by Ace

"we are not going to fish normal fished we are aiming to get some sea kings" he stated with a grin as he walked towards the figurehead

"where are you going" Marco asked as he looked at his fellow commander dragging their guest towards the figure head

"fishing sea kings" Ace stated "I heard there is a feast so the sea king we are going to catch would be mine and Asuna's to eat"

"are you crazy we cant eat an entire sea king ourselves, it would last a week" Asuna exclaimed as her eyes widened in shock

"hey, I wanna join" Marco asked as he walked towards the couple "hey someone get me a fishing rod and lots of bait, big meat bait" he yelled as he walked towards the figure head.

"I don't think there are any sea kings around" Asuna stated bored as she held to the fishing rod loosely, sitting on the tip of the whale's face her feet's dangling down, she peered down to the ocean for the nth time since they sat her an hour ago, turning around she spotted Ace snoring indicating he had a fit and Marco was well waiting patiently for a sea king to arrive.

"oh, I think I got something" Ace says snapping from his sleep as his rod shook in his hands, turning the reel around thus shortening the line Ace picked up his catch to reveal a small fish "bummers"

"hey add it to the bucket" Asuna gestured her head to the bucket behind them filled with fish

"where is the sea king" he asks as he looks around hopefully for a corpse

"there is no sea king, just a bucket of fish" Asuna sighs as she stood up "honestly Ace I give up, I don't think any sea kings are around here probably some other place but defiantly not here"

"I agree with Asuna, we sat her patiently while you slept and collected an entire bucket of fish" Marco agreed as he stood up and moved from the corner, sighing Ace knew that those two wouldn't give up that easily but apparently their luck was out today.

"there are no big fishes in this area" Namur stated as he approached the trio, as their eyes widened in shock, "it could be good two days before any of the larger fishes appear"

"why didn't you say that earlier" Ace whined as he helped Marco carry the bucket of small fish they collected

"I just came up to the deck about five minutes ago" he stated as he took the bucket from the two commanders knowing they couldn't handle it delicately. Bored out of their lives the trio slumped on the figure head, with Marco laying on his back his arms folded behind his head, Ace was laying on his side using his elbow against the floor as support to rest his head on and look at Asuna who was laying on his torso running her fingers over his toned chest and abs absent mindedly.

"this sun is making me sleepy" Marco lazily stated as he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eye, this time his hands were folded in front of him and used as a pillow

"it's probably the heat" Asuna sighed as her eyes were half lidded as well, though mostly the heat radiated from Ace who tried to suppress it as much as possible, they waited for Ace to reply but all they received was a snore and a pop sound waking him up

"hnmm" he replied as he opened his eyes and saw something shadowing the skies "a coo bird" he asked more like stated as he stood up, and on cue the bird came down and stood by the railings, inserting a coin Ace pulled out a news paper and the bird left.

"is there anything new" Asuna asks as she sat beside Ace who was sitting back with both Asuna and Marco on his sides

"let's see" he opened the new paper to reveal a new wanted poster of a young boy, his appearance similar to Ace. He had black hair kept under a old battered straw hat, a two stiches scar under his left eye and was grinning in a similar fashion to Ace only his was wider, he had his palm in front of him and was facing the camera as if he was happy about something.

"oohh it's Luffy" Ace yelled in happiness as he threw the newspaper to Marco and stood up with the poster in his hands "hey guys look at him, this is my little brother"

"so this the Luffy you told me about?" Asuna asked as she took a glimpse of the poster before Ace dashed away with the poster, the first thing he did was head towards Whitebeard, some of the crew members wondered why would he be so happy and hyper with a wanted poster in his hands unless his bounty rose up which was unlikely.

"hey look at this Ōyaji, this is my little brother" Ace stated as he pointed to the face in the poster, happiness and proudness evident in his tone, Ace was glad to hear something about his brother since three years. As whitebeard was about to say something Ace rushed off to somewhere and tell them about his little brother

"he really likes Luffy" Asuna asked Marco as she saw Ace show almost every single crew member the bounty poster, and ordered the cooks to hurry up with the feast.

"I thinks it's just a brother complex, as far as I know he doesn't shut up about him" Marco replied as a smile etched his face, he wanted to meat Ace's little brother who is now known as 'Straw hat' Luffy, sighing Marco watched as the chefs began to send the food quickly towards the deck and start the feast.

* * *

The entire day was spent partying and singing much to killing the boredom Asuna felt earlier, someday during the afternoon she had a weak headache but now it's all gone, she sat by the wall on one of the crates where she received some light from the lanterns lighting the ship, unfolding the poster that she earlier took Asuna studied the features of Luffy and smiled to herself, she saw some what resemblance in the two specially with that goofy grin.

"so what do you think about him" Ace asked as he approached Asuna and sat beside her looking at the poster in her hands, currently he was the proudest older brother ever.

"he is kind of cute and adorable, I like him" Asuna stated as she looked at Ace whose smile weakened, taking the poster from her hands he stuffed into the pocket and walked away "Ace?" she asked wondering what gotten him mad, was it because she said that Luffy was cute and adorable and that she liked him.

"I'm going to bed" he replied as he walked away leaving Asuna to stand there stupidly looking at his back

"seriously" she asked no one in particular as she watched Ace disappear, looking at the empty space she growled to herself '_honestly he just got jealous because I said that I like his brother_' Asuna thought as she walked towards the room.

"hey Asuna is something wrong, I just saw Ace go to his room" Marco asked as he pointed towards the door wondering what made the freckled face this angry

"no nothing is wrong" she growled at him and walked past him towards the room, she didn't have time for Marco she needed to make it up with Ace as soon as possible and perhaps explain by what she meant, she didn't want to break up with Ace over something so stupid and trivial as that, she didn't want him to ever be mad at her no she want him to love her no other feeling than that, but yet a simple screw up could cost too much.


	52. Love and regained memories

**A/N: hey I'm back with an update, because of this chapter and for safety reasons I'm changing the ratings to M. I wrote this chapter in the hotel in London, but I finished it and half of the next chapter in my flight to the US, found a way to update the chapters through my phone, anyway enjoy.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 50: Love and regained memories**

Standing in front of the door Asuna sighed before she pushed it open, there laying on the bed was Ace with his arms folded behind his head and his legs crossed, closing it Asuna locked the door and stood by it "what do you want" Ace growled.

"Can we at least talk" she asked as she approached him and sat on the edge of the bed taking her boots off, "there is nothing to talk about" he replied as he turned to his side "are we done now"

"So which is it, the over protective brother, or over jealous boyfriend" she asked as she moved closer to him, leaning over his back and wrapping and arm around him "you know you are the only one I love" Asuna added hoping to get to him

"Both" Ace answered as he turned around to face her, bringing her down so she can lay next to him, stroking her cheek with her thumb he saw the pain in her eyes, trying hardly to suppress a smile from forming.

"How come both" Asuna asked as she held the hand he had against her cheeks and brought it to her lips kissing it. Ace looked at her debating whether he should tell her or not, finally deciding he smiled "just don't laugh okay" he answered, "depending on your answer but I will try my best" she replied and sat up straight and let her feet dangle from the bed.

"Well I got jealous because you said Luffy was cute so easily and there was a smile on your face, then you said you liked him" Ace stated "and you never told me that with the expression you used, and then I thought maybe you will dump me for him" he muttered the last part though it wasn't unheard by Asuna

"Okay what about the over protective brother" she asked

"Luffy is to young and innocent, I'm not letting anyone taint that, he isn't going to think of women or anything prevented on my watch" Ace stated

Smiling she tried her best to suppress her laughter, "Ace, Ace, Ace" she shook her head as she sat on top of him, "honestly I am trying my best not to laugh at your stupidity, yes maybe I said he was cute and adorable but you are the hottest man I ever met"

"I will take that as a compliment" he stated, causing Asuna to chuckle and lean towards him, her hands cupping his face "and I said that I like him as in a friendly way and I cant help but agree that Luffy's innocence cant be tainted, but you I love with all my heart and I am never dumping you" she ended her speech with a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist he leaned upwards to deepen the kiss.

Breaking apart for air Ace laid back down and Asuna returned to sitting on his torso, his hands still around her waist, smiling she played with the bow around her neck "should I prove it as well" she smirked and undid the bow tossing the ribbon aside, Ace was about to ask what is she up to but was cut off when Asuna crashed her lips against his, kissing him with much force and passion, wrapping her arms around his neck and face she deepened the kiss.

Instinctively Ace brought his arms a bit higher so he can get her closer to him and deepening the kiss from his side, he felt her teeth against his as their tongues battled each other and were trying their best to go down the other's throat, two different sensations mixing with each other. Panting as they each tore apart and leaned into each other, Ace looked into Asuna's eyes and saw something different about them, smirking she ran her fingers from his chest snake like down to his torso and finally towards his buckle, and began creating a trail of kisses on his neck.

Ace's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Asuna was up to, he now knew what her eyes were "hun, we cant" he told her as he snapped out of his daze and sat up holding her so she wouldn't fall

"Why not?" Asuna asked innocently as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pouted

"Because...you need to wait for your memory" he replied quickly after a second of thoughts, but he knew the lust in her eyes was just to big to ignore however he will have to do his best to hold her down

A frown appeared on Asuna's face as she looked down for a second before lifting her head up, looking Ace directly in the eye "my memory this, my memory that, I had enough of this shit" she growled, "I just want to love and fuck you why is this so hard to understand" she asked as her pupils contracted causing her eyes to glow for a second.

Guilt flooding him Ace sighed, giving in and started kissing her neck slowly "alright, I will make it up to you just don't get angry" he told her as he kissed her shoulders, rubbing his hands up and down her waist. Lifting his face back to hers he pressed his lips against Asuna's, the little devil smirked as she held her lover's neck tightly as she kissed him with much force and lust, moaning as every touch electrocuted her body, suddenly she found herself crushed on the bed with Ace over her, creating a trail of kisses from her neck to her shoulders and finally down to above her breasts, his hands working on the knot of her bikini top.

"Ace" Asuna moaned as Ace began kissing every single skin above her bikini, the young commander lifted his face up to hers, the same amount of lust in his eyes if not even more "just let me do the work" he told her as he noticed her hand working on his buckle, and returned to kissing her lips, removing the belt from his shorts she tossed it aside and smirked in the lustful kiss, Ace as well smirked as he managed to undo her bikini top.

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_"The outside world is going to be harsh so you better take care, you are like my own daughter so be careful and stay away from harms way"_

_"I'm proud of you, so when you go out there don't make me loose my pride in you"_

_"Heart D. Asuna that's a nice name"_

_"Pirate Heart D. Asuna had recently destroyed a marine base and for that the government has once again raised the bounty of our beloved captain"_

_"The Dark Demon Heart D. Asuna you were indeed a worthy opponent, I hope I can meet you again and fight once more"_

_"Even though your specialty isn't swordsmanship I cant help but respect you as a worthy swordsman with exceptional skills and give you my best wishes"_

_"Congratulations on making it to the fishman island"_

_"Welcome to the new world"_

_"Why are you searching for Akagami no Shanks, Captain"_

_"Ne, Asuna will you join us, you will be a good addition to our crew and we can bond over our lost time, I want to be your father, please pumpkin pie"_

_"What are you saying Captain, why are you leaving us, we don't want to go anywhere without you"_

_"We will be fine Captain, take care and don't forget that we will always be your crew and if you needed anything you can come to us"_

_"Heart D. Asuna from the red haired pirates against Portgas D. Ace from the Whitebeard pirates ended in a draw"_

_"Next time I will be sure to kick that ass of yours Asuna"_

_"Why is it that you are always smiling"_

_"I'm amazed at how you are so kind for a pirate yet so harsh on yourself as a person"_

_"Hey Asuna, you know that talking to yourself makes you look like a complete freak psycho and you wont find any dates"_

_"You want to be seen as you, not someone else's child"_

_"How are you feeling"_

_"Beautiful"_

_"We are here to save your sorry ass"_

_"I am sorry if I hurt and made you cry"_

_"Will you sneak out with me"_

_"I promise to come back and marry you"_

_"I'm sorry if I had known about my feelings earlier you wouldn't have gone through that"_

_" Elisa-chan please save Asuna"_

_"I Love You"_

* * *

"Ghuahh" Asuna gasped as she woke up panting and sat up straight, she was shaking madly as she recalled her memories, they had come back when she was sleeping, every single bit of memory, even the ones she wanted to forget. A lone tear escaped her eyes she remembered some off her painful memories, rubbing her eyes she realized something wrong, why was she sleeping naked, her body ached her everywhere specially between her legs.

"Shit" she gasped as she realized what happened, she lowered her face and brought her hands to her eyes covering them as she began to cry 'what did I do? After this he isn't going to talk to me, shit why did I compel him into having sex with me, he didn't want to do it in the first place yet I, I' Asuna began to sniff hardly as tears fell uncontrollably and guilt flooding her 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Ace please forgive me' was all she could think, as she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face

"Hnn" Ace groaned in his sleep as he heard Asuna's hiccups, moving his hands he tried to feel her but found nothing, "Asuna" he asked as he opened his eyes slowly looking for her, seeing her naked back and heard her sniffing Ace woke up fully alert of his surroundings, sitting up he softly placed a hand on her back "hun, are you alright" he asked

"Don't" she snapped at him angrily, and pushed him to the side as she brought the blankets upwards to cover her and backed away, only to fall of the bed. "Don't get any closer, just don't" she told him as she backed away.

"Okay but what's wrong?" Ace asked nervously as he brought a pillow to cover his private.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she kept repeating as the tears began to fall once again 'I cant show him my face ever again, I'm disgusting' she thought as she laid down on the floor with one hand covering her eyes "I didn't mean it" she told him

"Would you tell me what happened" Ace asked with a worried and confused tone 'I knew this was going to happen, why did I have to agree with her, the real Asuna would defiantly get angry she would think I used her, I didn't want to do it in the first place but seeing her like that and my little buddy didn't help'

"I remember every damn thing of my life, Ace" she answered in dead monotone and sat up "I remembered those fucking memories"

"I —" was all Ace could say he was speechless 'I'm a dead man' he thought, he knew that he would have to wait for her but yet he just didn't.

"I know you might think that I am angry because you slept with me and that I think that you used me, but that's not it I don't mind" Asuna stated as she brought every once of courage to tell him her crime "I know that you didn't want to, but ended up doing it because I" she paused and gave her now or never "Ace I compelled you into sleeping with me"

"You what" he asked confused "what you mean by compel"

"Remember when you told me to stop and I got angry then my eyes glowed" she asked, once Ace nodded she continued "back then I compelled you, and compulsion means that I rob a person from their will by coating my voice and eyes with Haōshoku no Haki"

"And you"

"And when I compelled you I stole your will" she replied "it doesn't matter how strong willed a person is because this technique utilizes concentrated Haki, that's why it worked"

"So you are telling me that you compelled me into having sex with you and that compulsion works on almost everyone" Ace asks, trying to get a grasp of the situation and what compulsion is

"In other words I just raped you" Asuna bit her own lip in anticipation of what is going to happen, but Ace sat still trying to digest what he was told "and I just cant live with knowing what I did, the guilt of it will always be there" she added as she stood up and picked up her scattered and torn clothes "I don't deserve you"

"..." Ace sat there in silence watching as Asuna blamed and hated herself, he couldn't just sit there and watch her, he had to do something. as she was about to open the door of the dressing room / closet, Asuna found herself against the wall with a pair of warm lips against hers, two hand's pining her in place, her clothes fell to the ground from her hands"

"Don't say that" Ace ordered as he moved apart, he looked into her water eyes, he saw the pain in her eyes, cupping a cheek he stroked his thumb against it, holding the blanket around her tightly Asuna looked at Ace in surprise. "If you love me don't say that you don't deserve me" he told her

"But I —" Asuna couldn't complete her sentence as Ace kissed her once again but with more force, he ran his hands down to her thighs wrapping his hands around them and lifting her up, while he pin pointed her back against the wall as support to keep her from falling

"What are you doing" she asked in a shaky voice, this was defiantly not the reaction she expected.

"If I make it even, will you love me once again" he replied as he kissed her once again, biting down on her lower lip he darted his tongue inside of her mouth and dominated easily as she didn't put up with a fight.

"Ace" Asuna whispered as he kissed her, another lone tear escaping her eyes, he didn't mind if she raped him indirectly, he just wanted her to love him there was noway he is moving past her. Smiling Ace started slowing down "I love you" he whispered against her lips, hearing those words Asuna's emotions were everywhere, listening to her heart she smiled and wrapped her legs around him and released her hold on the blanket letting it fall to the ground.

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**A/N: and that is this chapter, please leave a review. Until next chapter**


	53. the next morning

**A/N: finally finished this chapter and here you go, hope you enjoy**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 51: the next morning**

Rolling on her side, a groan escaped Asuna's lips as she hid her face in her lover's chest, trying to hide from the rays of light, wrapping her arms around Ace's torso and lifting her leg above his, she felt a hand on her shoulder, "hnn" she moaned as she opened her eyes and lifted her head to see Ace looking at her smiling.

"Rise and shine" he greeted as he kissed her forehead, smiling she rested her head on his upper arm as Ace ran his fingers through her hair "sleep well" he asked.

"Still not enough sleep" she stated lazily and kissed his chest "my body hurts like hell, you did quite a number on me"

"I cant help it" he smirked, "but i have to say have quite the body" he stated as he attempted to pull up the blankets having a peak but Asuna smacked his hand before he could see

"Aww c'mon, I already saw you naked" he teased

"Pervert" Asuna smirked as sat up straight holding the blanket over her breasts "and here I was thinking of taking a shower with you"

"I'm taking that offer" he smirked as he sat up straight and kissed her, leaning back into his chest, Ace wrapped his arms around her he kissed her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder "I love, adore, craze you" he stated

"I do as well" Asuna smiled as she turned around and kissed his jaw, "you think they heard us, the crew and your next door neighbor"

"Marco probably, but the crew I don't know, we tried to be as low as possible, but the second round not as much"

"That's because round one was slow but round two was rough and hard" Asuna explained "if you are thinking of round three then I'm passing"

"Honestly I preferred round two" Ace stated as he kissed her cheeks, moving his hands down under the blanket he let them rest on her waist "I've gotta say, out of all women you have most amazing stomach ever" he slowly brought his hands to her torso and squeezed it

"Oww" Asuna chuckled as she felt a bit ticklish, she was about to push Ace's hand away but stopped when she felt the heat from it touching her skin "what do you mean"

"Well it's not thin going inside showing your bones, and it's not fat with a belly" he explained "it's perfectly fit and flat, if I squeeze it I can feel your abs"

"Considering the amount of food I eat, I say I digest pretty well" she smirked "and don't jinx it or I will get fat"

"Hopefully not" he replied as he slowly slid his hands back up to her shoulders and began massaging them, pressing hardly on her muscles a moan escaped Asuna's lips, "I love it when you make those sounds" he whispered in her ears as he moved his hands towards her neck and massaged her there

"This feels great" Asuna moaned at his touch, the way he eased her aches was just so great she couldn't find the right words to describe it, closing her eyes she leaned into his chest.

"Lie on your stomach, I'll give you a full massage" he told her resting his hands on her shoulders

"That would be perfect" she opened her eyes and kissed his neck, turning around she laid on her torso, folding her arms and resting her head on them she closed her eyes. Moving Ace sat on her lower back and cracked his fingers, working his magic he ran his hand against her spine and started kneading into her back.

"Oh-Ahhhh" Asuna moaned as her pain began to fade away replaced by warmth and heat, placing his lower palm against the spine of her lower back he pushed it with force towards her waist "Ahh" she moaned softly. Resting his hands on her waist he leaned and kissed her upper back "how is it" he asked

"Where did you learn to do this" she asked with a smile etching her face "can you go up a bit higher"

"Hm...here and there never thought it would come in handy" he replied as he brought his hand to her mid-back "here?"

"Perfect" she stated as Ace began to do his work there "you know you do make an excellent massage man, you can land a job in that field and even top the experts"

"Is that so" he asked causing Asuna to chuckle. Their time didn't last long as a knock was heard by the door, growling Asuna glared at the door she used her Haki to figure out who is at the door, "it's Marco" she sighed

"Hey love couple open the door I know you two are awake —yoi" the said man yelled from the other side of the door

"Just a minute" Ace sighed as he stood up and grabbed his shorts putting them on, "can you give me my top" she asked in a low voice that only Ace could hear, nodding he grabbed her bikini and tossed it to her, hiding the rest of the clothes while she put on her top back they were now set to see their perverted friend.

"Hey Marco" Ace greeted as he opened the door but not wide enough for Marco to see the room.

"Well judging by the amount of noise you made last night, I presume you two are still tired" he asked

"Ace get away from the door" Asuna yelled, seeing a pillow in her hand he moved to the side opening it complete, she hurled the pillow at his face with such speed and strength that Marco stumbled backwards as it hit his face

"Just let us leave the room" Ace told him in the deadliest tone as he closed the door on his face,walking towards the bed he saw the unbelievable expression on Asuna's frowning face, "hey don't cry" he told her as he wrapped his arms around her bringing her face to his chest.

"I'm not crying" she sniffed as tears began to fall "I'm just PMSing, in two days time I'm getting my period and my emotions tend to be all over the place"

"Oh okay, how bad is it" Ace asked as he tried to soothe Asuna's outburst

"Really bad and I mean it, I could be all lovey dovey with you a second later I might be really hating you, I quickly get angry and hurt" she explained as she pulled away and wiped her tears, over with her sadness "see just like this"

"Say, how about we hit the shower" he suggested as he stood up and extended his arm for Asuna to take, smiling she took it and stood up and slid in her underwear before Ace could blink.

"Don't give me that face" she smirked and kissed Ace, holding his hand she led him to the bathroom and closed the door behind them, taking of her bikini and letting her panties drop on the floor she walked into the glass door, turning the knob she let the water soak her "you coming or not"

"You have no idea how sexy you are now" he stated as he slid off his shorts and closed the glass door once he got inside

"I take that as a compliment" Asuna smiled as she looked at Ace, a hand on his neck and her thumb stroking his face, leaning towards her he kissed her slowly yet passionately with all the love he has the water pouring on them, "it's like kissing in the rain" Asuna stated their faces an inch apart

"You have no idea what you are doing to me" he replied as he leaned in to kiss her once again,moving her hands up to his black locks while the other was around his neck bringing him closer to her, she kissed him with passion her tongue licking and tasting ever part of his mouth. Brining her waist closer to him, he bit her lower lip for fun, sliding his hands lower Ace wrapped them around her thighs lifting her up, as he did so Asuna wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I think I'm up for round three" she stated as she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with force, lust and hunger "because we wont be able to do for another week, and you just turned me on"

"You think so" he asked as he turned around and pinned Asuna to the wall, moving apart he started kissing her shoulder, a moan escaped the blonde's lips as she leaned her head backwards and let herself be manipulated by her lover.

.

.

.

.

Filling her hand with shampoo Asuna began to wash her Ace's hair with red cheeks, she didn't care if she was exhausted, shy and wanted to rest, they had to clean up it was their main reason that they went to the bathroom. "Stay still" she ordered as she massaged Ace's scalp and running her fingers through his black locks.

"I am still" Ace replied with a smile "how come your hands are too delicate"

"Because I'm a woman, and women have delicate hands unlike men with a tough grip" Asuna sighed, as she rinsed the lather from his hair, she knew Ace would do anything to turn around to see her red tainted cheeks, "okay I'm done" she told him as she rinsed the last bit of foam

"My turn" he replied turning around only to face Asuna's back, he knew right now her cheeks are really red from shyness and she would do anything so he wont see them, squinting some shampoo on his hand he began tending to Asuna's hair, surprisingly he was so gentle and his hands were soft

"Oww" Asuna winced as Ace came across a knot, slowly he untangled it and continued washing her hair. "The real you is defiantly different" Ace stated as he began rinsing her hair

"The real me?"

"Yeah the Asuna that I know, this one not the one without her memories"

"How come I am different now than back then" she asked, curiosity obvious in her tone.

"Everything about you is different, the way you move, your personality, your touch, your smile, your love, your kiss" Asuna heard Ace smirk and knew he was happy "your beautiful blush, the taste of alcohol in your mouth, god how I missed it, the person you are is defiantly the person I fell in love with"

Turning around Asuna caught Ace in surprise kiss, "I love you" she whispered as tears began falling, resting her forehead against his Ace saw her cheeks burning red, caressing his face a happy smile etched Asuna's face "you are defiantly the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, I cant imagine my life without you after today"

"PMSing?" Ace asked as he wiped Asuna's tears with his thumb, "yeah" she nodded as she pulled apart and rubbed her eyes, "let's just finish up" Ace suggested as he grabbed the bar of soap. Quickly washing himself up he handed Asuna the soap bar to finish up herself, closing the tap they slid out of the glass and each grabbed a towel.

"What" Asuna asked as she saw Ace looking who gave here a sad look "you saw me naked long enough" she states as she tied her towel around her body

"I know" he replied, "just admiring"

"Yeah right" Asuna chuckled as she headed towards the closet and picking up her storage, activating it she went to the lingerie section and chose a white scallop trim bra with a black cage lace design and a multiple bow feature, also a matching white Brazilian low rise, panel design scallop trim style white underwear with a central bow feature and a black cage laced detail.

"Phew" Ace whistled as he looked at Asuna, turning around she saw Ace getting into his shorts, smirking she approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck "like what you're seeing" she asked

"Like it" Ace raised an eyebrow as he rested his hands on her waist "I love it" he smiled as he leaned forward and kissed Asuna, "hmm...you're staying like this for a while" he asked

"Yeah why?" She asked

"Just because" Ace shook his head and smirked, as Asuna was about to ask him another question he quickly moved his hands to under her knees and lifted her up. "Ace" she yelped and tightened her hold on his neck as he spun her around, chuckling she pressed her cheek against his.

Walking towards the room Ace set Asuna on the bed, still having her arms around his neck, Asuna gave Ace a look that said she isn't letting go, smiling he pressed his knee against the mattress before resting on the other side, turning on her side she looked Ace, "I love moments like those" she stated as she stroked her thumb against his cheeks.

"And I wish we can spend all day here with you" Ace stated as he grabbed her hands and kissed them "just laying on the bed and looking at you" he added running his fingers through her golden locks

"In this" she smirked pointing to her clothes

"Hmm" Ace shook his head trying to come up with an excuse "okay I've got nothing to back me up"

"Ohhh" Asuna chuckled as she leaned her head into his chest giggling

"Whats so funny" Ace pouted as he wrapped his hands around her, lifting her head up Asuna kissed his jaw "you know you could always ask" she stated running her fingers over his chest seductively

"That would make me look demanding" he replied running a hand down to her thigh and bringing a leg over his

"I know by this question I'm going to ruin the moment" Asuna started "about last night —"

"Lets forget about last night"

"But I"

"No buts hun, I forgive you and besides you weren't in your right mind" Ace stated and hesitated when saying the last part

"I really really love you" Asuna sobbed as she leaned upwards and kissed Ace, wiping the tear with his thumb, "Okay my turn, now that you are back what are your thought's about me" he asked as he twirled her golden locks in his finger

"What thoughts?"

"Who I am, about my father"

"Oh that, I don't give a shit" Asuna replied, sitting up she looked at him guilt in her eyes "Ace there is something you need to know, I half told you the truth about me"

"Half?" He raised an eyebrow wanting to know what else she was hiding

"Yes there is a part about me that I didn't discover until later in life" she began "well for starters my mother didn't die giving birth to me " she paused and took a deep breath "I killed her", Ace's eyes widened in shock as he sat up straight, he now needed to know the full truth about his wife, he knew there was a lot of pain and many other things she was hiding, but what he didn't know.

* * *

**A/N: I know this wasn't as much of a chapter, it's just that as theme suggests in the title, this chapter is about when they wake up in the morning and how they react to each other, and hopefully I will set things right next chapter but until then tune in.**


	54. the truth about Asuna

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 52: the truth about Asuna**

"You killed your mother" Ace asked Asuna in a surprised tone, the young woman looked at her lover sadly and nodded her head "but how I thought you said she died giving birth to you"

"Well that was what I was told when I was little, but when I got out to the sea I found out the truth about her and my dad" Asuna replied with guilt evident in her tone "and yes she died giving birth to me"

"If she died giving birth to you how is that you killing her" Ace asked, he sort of has the same problem though he doesn't say that he killed his mother by that.

"Actually I was born prematurely by a month" Asuna stated "and because of that she died"

"Okay so you were born prematurely and she died doesn't mean you killed her" Ace argued

"Do you know why I was born prematurely" Asuna asked, and as she predicted she received no answer from Ace "I will tell you why, when my mother was pregnant with me at 8 months she was walking by the stairs and you know kids kick thier mothers from inside"

"Yeah what about it?"

"Well I kind of kicked her a bit to hard and she lost her balance and fell a few steps" Ace looked at Asuna shocked "but she didn't die, she lived through it and kind of kept it a secret"

"Phew" Ace sighed "I thought that by falling she died"

"Well she was fine for the week, but then she started bleeding and her water broke" Asuna stated "when she went to the doctor she said it was internal bleeding and that some strong impact must have caused it, and my mother told her about her little accident a week ago"

"Just how pregnant she was?" Ace asked out of curiosity "as far as I know she has to be 9 months to give birth"

"At the start of her 8th month she gave birth to me at 35 weeks and 6 days instead of the regular 40 weeks that's almost 5 weeks earlier which is a month" Asuna explained "but that wasn't the case"

"Then what was"

"Because of the bleeding only one of us could've survived, either I live and she dies or she lives and I die" She stated "but no, she had to be selfish and let me live, they told her abort the baby and you can have another one but she insisted on having me, and what good am I huh? Tell me Ace what good am I" she continued emphasizing the 'no' and anger in her tone

"It was her choice you didn't kill her" he argued "and don't say that"

"Yes I did, she was just 18, if I hadn't kicked she would have survived, she only lived long enough to name me, it's so unfair" Asuna began to cry, tears dropping uncontrollably "she barely held me in her hands, she didn't have a chance to see me well, I didn't have a chance to feel her warmth not even for a second"

"Hey it's going to be alright" Ace reassured Asuna as he wrapped his hands around her and brought her to his chest, enveloping her with his warmth

"No it wont Ace, when I discovered the truth I kept crying and having nightmares for an entire week, i'd always feel guilty" she sniffed "I always wanted a mother, sometimes I think that if I die I would see her again, even if it's for a second I want to touch her, but knowing that her blood is all over me I couldn't, I got scared, I couldn't even tell Shanks about it"

"At least you have him, a guy you are proud to call your father, the only family I have is Luffy and probably the shitty geezer but I've got no one else you have Miles, Skye, Lyle and others as well"

"They are no longer my family, and I don't consider them as such" she stated as she wrapped her arms around Ace "not after what they did to me"

"What did they do, so you can hate them"

"Miles-san lies to me all the time, Skye almost killed me and Lyle stole my first kiss"

"They what" Ace exclaimed as he pushed Asuna and looked at her

"Miles-san always lies to me, she keeps secrets and she didn't want me to leave and pursue my dreams" Asuna explained "she tries to control who I am and always tells me what to do, and sometimes she tells me to become more like her and stay away from the path my mother took, and she said that my mother owes her 5 years of bonding time with her daughter when she thought I wasn't listening"

"Well she mostly sees you as her own daughter that's why she wants the best for you" Ace stated as he caressed Asuna's cheeks

"Well I understand because she raised me as her own but sometimes she goes over the line and I hate it, but I dont mind she is fine I consider her more of a guardian"

"..." Ace sat there listening to Asuna "hey you said something about your dreams"

"Yeah I had two, first is to know who I really am, the second is to travel and discover the world" Asuna explained "but Miles-san didn't want me to know who I am that's why I got angry"

"And what about the rest, why do you hate them?"

"Well Skye almost killed me" She replied as she stood of the bed and walked towards the closet to get her storage

"How did she almost killed you" Ace asked as he followed her

"Long story or short?" Asuna asked as she activated her storage and quickly went through the pages and pulled black mid thigh shorts

"How about medium" Ace asked as he leaned on the wall and watched Asuna as she slid in her shorts

"What do I have to lose" Asuna smiled as she pulled out a black turtle neck sleeveless shirt and put it on, and over it a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow and left open

* * *

**Flashback**

A 16 year old Asuna stood by the border of Magi looking at the vast sea from the terrace of the guarding castle thinking about her leave a months time, smiling she sat on the railings and wondered what could be in store for her and what wold it be like to meet someone from her family in the outer world.

"Hey Anna" Lyle approached Asuna from behind greeting her, they young girl turned around and pouted "Lyle-nii how many times do I have to say stop calling me that, it's Asuna"

"Anna is easier" Lyle stated as he wrapped his hands around Asuna hugging her "cant believe my little girl had finally grown up"

"Lyle I'm not a little girl, I'm sixteen legally an adult" Asuna replied as she pushed away from Lyle "at least I don't feel embarrassed when I hug you or stand besides you as a matter of fact"

"That's so mean, Anna" Lyle pouted causing Asuna to chuckle

"So what are you doing here" Asuna asked as she resumed her seating on the railings letting her legs dangle down at the calm belt

"Checking up on you, I wont be able to see you leave and I know you are in a hurry to leave so this is going to be goodbye" Lyle stated as he leaned towards the railings and looked at the ocean "I don't get it why do you want to get out so bad, I read some of the news papers and I showed you how many criminals and dangerous people are out there"

"If you are worried I'll be fine" Asuna replied smiling "I can take those criminals on, hopefully I will defeat some of those big names"

"That's right you are ranked A-class" Lyle sighed "but what is it that makes you want to leave so bad"

"I dont know I just cant stand being in the same place for so long, I want to go out discover the world and it's mysteries" Asuna sighed "just look at the sea, it's so big and vast, it spells freedom, almost alluring and I cant help it" she paused for a big breath "I just want to explore it, it's as if the ocean is calling me, you dont think that my father was one of those guys, well I hope he is a good guy"

"Hopefully a Marine" Lyle smirked "aren't you scared about discovering the truth, who are your other side of your family"

"Maybe, I just want to meet him, my mother's side weren't much of a family prehaps my father would be better, I never had a blood bond to call family so maybe it's never meant to and I'll be stuck alone"

"You have us"

"I know, it's just that I really want a family through blood, you have your parents and Skye has Miles-san, many kids have parents, you have no idea what it means to be an orphan, knowing that I have a family and probably a father just makes me so excited, perhaps my life wouldn't be bad, I would finally have friends, you know how much that means to me Lyle"

"I do" he replied as a smile crossed his face "I'm proud of you, so when you go out there don't make me loose my pride in you"

"Aye sir" Asuna grinned as she turned around to face Lyle "I wont let you down"

"I know you wont" Lyle's right lip side twitched as he leaned forward and kissed Asuna, the young girl froze in shock her eyes wide open, that was her first kiss, her very first and Lyle just went and stole it "I love you" he stated

"What's wrong with you" Asuna screamed as she slapped Lyle hardly leaving a dark red handprint on his right cheek "that was my first kiss"

"I love you, Asuna" he replied softly as he saw her tears falling "stay, don't leave and be my wife"

"Since when was that" Asuna asked as she folded her arms over her chest "and I refuse to stay or marry you, you're my brother I cant"

"Once I saw how much you resemble your mother, I cant help but fall in love again" Lyle replied smiling "she was the first person who captured my heart but I couldn't be with her because of what she did, but here you are the spitting image of Aika"

"You're sick" Asuna yelled as she slapped his other cheek with more force that could leave a bruise "I hate you" she cried as she ran away. Lyle stood there letting the pain of the slap sink in and his shattered dreams, to his luck Skye was watching them from the corner and heard everything, walking towards him she gave him a disappointed look before she slapped him hardly on the same side Asuna just slapped him "you are a jerk" she growled before stomping her way off.

Sitting on one of the windows of the light tower Asuna hugged her knees as she cried over what had just happened, first the talk with Miles and now this, her first kiss stolen by her brother who had a crush on her mother, rubbing her foot she looked at the vast ocean 'dad if you are out there are you looking for me, do you know about me' she thought

"Hey" Skye hesitantly greeted as she waved awkwardly "what happened, you're crying"

"Oh spare the act Skye what do you want" Asuna asked sarcastically

"What more do you and your mother want to steal, you already took my mum away for most of my childhood" Skye growled "now the man I love, I trusted you Asuna with my secret and you choose to backstab me"

"I didn't he was the one who kissed me" Asuna yelled "and would you cut me the slack"

"I should've finished you off when I could" Skye growled

"You cant be serious about this Skye"

"You want to go out to the sea quickly then why don't you" Skye yelled as she froze the ground and pushed Asuna of the edge of the window, causing her to slip and fall of the cliff into the calm belt.

"Ahu Ahu" Asuna coughed as she surfaced back up from the calm belt covered in bruises and scratches as well as blood, which mixed with the calm belt isn't good news, pushing her hair away from her face and rubbing her eyes Asuna began swimming towards the shore until she stopped dead in her tracks and gulped "crap" she thought aloud as she looked at the sea kings surrounding her.

Swimming was no longer an option Asuna had to get rid of the sea kings, but how could she use her magic in the water, thinking she concentrated her Haki and unleashed a big wave against them knocking most of them out, as she did so a life preserver was thrown at her, grabbing it she was pulled towards the shore.

"What happened, who did this to you" Miles asked Asuna as she watched the medics clean Asuna's wounds, the young girl frowned and looked at the other side "doesn't matter, I'm leaving as quick as possible" she replied and stood up leaving the infirmary

"Asuna why are you defending them" Miles asked as she followed the young girl

"Because I'm doing the right thing" Asuna replied turning around facing Miles with tears "I want to leave without creating any trouble, so please Miles-san don't ask"

"I wont" Miles replied and wiped Asuna's tears "your parents will defiantly be proud of you, specially your mother"

"Miles-san who is my father, I know you know who he is, why are you hiding it from me"

"It's not that I'm hiding it, I just cant tell you, but he is a good a guy that I can tell"

"Thanks Miles-san" Asuna smiled as she hugged Miles, the older woman wrapped her arms around Asuna as well, "I'm glad you were the one who raised me, and I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier"

**End flashback**

* * *

"that's the medium length story or do you want more" Asuna sighed as she slid in her foot a black knee length converse with a back zipper closure and zipping it up. "And you say that I should forgive them"

"No I don't" Ace smiled as he sat by Asuna, running his finger through her hair glad that he had Luffy, Garp and even Dadan "okay enough of this let's go" he sighed and stood up extending his arm for Asuna to take

"Why not, this is getting too depressing" Asuna chuckled as she touched her storage, her hands glowed and a pair of black gloves appeared in her hands already worn "I can use it so that I directly wear my clothes but I like getting dressed" she stated as she saw the expression Ace gave her, grabbing his hand they made their way out of the room towards the deck

* * *

**A/N: yes I know the ending of this chapter is way to crappy but hey live with it, I am travelling and writing this for you be grateful**


	55. OC's Info (bonus)

**Character's info page (bonus):**

**A/N: so basically this chapter is a simple info about each of my own characters that play a important role in the story, I will state their names, age, background, abilities and stuff like that, I will try my best to do it in order of appearance, and 4 or 5 characters per chapter.**

* * *

**Nel:**

**Name:** Neliel, Nel for short

**Age:** 27

**Appearance:** Nel is a slender woman of almost average height (166/ 5'5"), she has waist length green hair with a side fringe and black eyes, her outfit ranges most of the time and is usually feminine showing parts of her skin and her cleavage, her 3 measurements are: B98-H58-W88

**Personality:** she may look kind and sweet at first but she actually is mean and hating, she likes to be bossy, and is strict about rules. Her love for sex had made her an uncontrollable freak causing her to tease Asuna for her lifestyle

**Stats:** speed 4/5; offense 3/5; defense 3/5; intelligence 5/5

**Devil fruit:** the _Inu-Inu no mi model: german shepherd_, in her human form Nel has a dog's sense of smell; her hybrid for consists of dog ears, paws and a tail, in this form she has a better enhanced sense of smell and a hearing; full form turns her into a german shepherd and can use all of it's abilities to their fullest.

**Hobbies:** shopping, being bossy and in charge, torturing weaklings and Asuna, having sex

**Info:** little is known about her past, approximately 4 years ago she was recruited into the crew for her intelligence and sense of duty, she has been able to complete every single task given to her, but unlike what shanks expected Nel was strict and made the crew fall in line. For some reason she hates Asuna badly and uses any chance she gets to torture her, as well as she had a crush on Ace only for his looks. She plays a major role in the plot as she poisoned Asuna causing her to stay with the Whitebeard for a week, as well as help Asuna discover her feelings for Ace.

* * *

**Wendy:**

**Name:** Mai Wendy

**Age:** 25

**Appearance:** Wendy is a slender woman of average height, she has waist length black curly hair and eyes, as well as dimples. As a bar maid she wears the bar outfit which consists of blue tight fit dress with double breasted buttons, and her hair falling over her shoulders.

**Personality:** she is a kind and loving, as well as patient seeing she has been handling the red haired pirates for the past few years. At times she can be curious and cheeky as she teased Asuna when she came by during the fifth day.

**Hobbies:** she has no exact hobbies other than singing and writing songs.

**Info:** Wendy is a bar maid who helps the red haired pirated during their stay for the games, she know their orders and prepares them before hand. She also writes songs for the crew specially for Asuna to sing due to her natural talent, she plays a supporting role in the plot.

* * *

**Claus:**

**Name:** Talons Claus

**Age:** 29

**Appearance:** he is a muscular man of average height and tanned skin, with messy brown hair and black eyes, his outfit consists of dark brown shorts cut bellow the knee and collected half way up the shin and a white leopard patterned shirt folded at the elbow, and is loosely worn.

**Personality:** Claus is loyal to his crew and captain, he is a kind heart and loving, he cares for his crew mates deeply and would protect them at any cost.

**Stats:** speed 5/5; offense 4/5; defense 5/5; intelligence 4/5

**Devil fruit:** the Blizz-Blizz no mi; a logia fruit that allows Claus to control the weather creating blizzards making him a blizzard man, that's where the name comes from.

**Hobbies:** partying, drinking, gambling, hanging with the crew, going out with his girlfriend Cornelia

**Info:** he was part of the crew 10 years ago, after shanks left Luffy's hometown. He was recruited for his abilities and love for partying, he was the first to meet Asuna from the crew and is the person who took her to shanks. He plays a regular role to help move and support the plot.

* * *

**Marie:**

**Name:** Marie

**Age:** 36

**Appearance:** she is a tall busty woman with red back length hair tied in a pony tail and black eyes, she sports black jeans and gladiator heels with a bikini top, during her disguise as a waiter she sports an apron over her outfit.

**Personality:** during her disguise as a waiter she acts kind and loving, however she is a strict person and follows the rules.

**Info:** Marie plays the role of a judge for the preliminaries and is the person who is in charge of team Red Haired Pirates and team Whitebeard Pirates, as well as other teams.

* * *

**Cleave:**

**Name:** Tanner Cleave

**Age:** 13

**Appearance:** he is a young boy of average height, with messy raven hair. His outfit consists of brown shorts, a white shirt over it a red-brown vest, and the same shade of boots.

**Personality:** Cleave is not like boys of his age, he likes testing strength and has a sarcastic side, he also hates being viewed weak. He cares for his sister deeply and seems to know her motives.

**Stats:** speed 3/5; offense 4/5; defense 3/5; intelligence 4.5/5

**Magic:** water magic - he can create and manipulate water out of thin air; illusion magic - allows him to create illusions

**Info:** Cleave plays a minor role in the games where he defeated Ace in the competition part, and blackmailed Asuna in the battle part. He is a citizen of Magi along with the rest of his team, it is unknown how he left Magi and made it to the New World, however his motives seems to concentrate around Asuna

* * *

**Kalli:**

**Name:** Tanner Kalli

**Age:** 22

**Appearance:** Kalli is of average height and a flat face, black hair braided to her mid back. Her outfit consists of a black knee-length dress coat, which was adorned with four symmetrically placed light colored buttons on the chest and a light brown belt fastened around her waist carrying her saber in it.

**Personality:** Kalli is similar to mean girls around her age, she likes to tease people and test their strength, she is fixated on defeating and humiliating Asuna, however under that mean demeanour she is a kind girl who cares for her brother.

**Stats**: speed 5/5; offense 3.5/5; defense 3/5; intelligence 4/5

**Magic:** re-quip - allows her to change armors instantly and call out weapons; levitation - allows her to levitate items in the air through will; concealment - allows her to conceal and hide her weapons

**Info:** she plays a minor role in the plot, she is Asuna's opponent in the games, through her multiple armors she was slightly outmatched by Asuna, until she resorted into cheating and confirming the relationship between the younger female and Shanks, by far she is the second to discover their secret on her own. Similarly to her brother it is unknown how she left Magi, and her motives lie around defeating and humiliating Asuna though it's been shown that she wants to kill her.

* * *

**A/N: so this is the first characters info page, it is around the characters viewed in the plot first, which are Nel & Claus we already know, Marie is from chapter 3:preliminary round. Cleave and Kalli are the cloaked figures from chapter 4:opening, however the made their debt in chapter 5:failure. If you hadn't noticed I made it out of boredom and because I have a lot of OC's in the story. **

**Note: if anything changes about my OC's I will be sure to update in a next chapter, and I might put them at the end of each chapter. **


	56. Dye

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 53: Dye**

**Asuna's POV**

Holding Ace's hand we headed towards the deck, my earlier break down was just a waste of time, though it felt good to let someone know the truth, I should do it once in a while. Leaning closer to Ace I wrapped my other hand around his arm as a small blush crept up my cheeks, why is it that when I got my memory that my period has to come.

"Hone, you know that with this shirt you look like a mechanic or in our case a shipwright" Ace chuckled

"I know, I was going to wear a blue shirt but I don't know why I pulled this neck" I replied as I pulled my halter neck, turning around I checked that no one was in the hallway, getting the storage from my pocket I pressed the middle button, my shirts glowed and soon were replace with a white loose long sleeved blouse reaching down to my mid thigh with the back a bit longer and a black tie, my gloves were replaced with metal bracelets "how about now" I asked

"You look rich" Ace exclaimed

"Why thank you" I replied with a fake noble accent and tone

"You make an excellent heiress little miss" Ace played along with my act

"So of what class am I, Mr. Portgas?"

"Hmm well you are of the pirate class serving under a Yonko, that is almost the same as the Tenryuubito in that stupid government"

"Well we are more decent than they are" I smiled "and don't compare us to them"

"Not in a million years" Ace smiled and flung his arm around my shoulder bringing me closer to him, wrapping my arm around his waist I leaned into him

"I know" I stated softly

"Well you two seem in a good mood" a voice stated that I knew belonged to non other that the cross dressing commander, turning around I saw Izo coming from his room "and I haven't seen you in a shirt for some time" he stated to Ace, after all he couldn't go around shirtless without my nail marks on his back showing.

"Since you are closest to the chefs tell them to cook a feast" I asked happily

"Why would I do that" he asked lazily, well I couldn't blame him after what the amnesic me did to him, how could he still stand to talk to me

"I am sorry" I bowed to him "I didn't mean or would do all of the things that I did the past week"

"Did you…" he trailed off trying to find the right words

"Yeah I got my memories, but my mind is still jumbled up so I might be out of character" I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly but kept my grin

"Very well then" Izo replied calmly and left us, though I could sense the happiness coming from him. "He's really happy" I told Ace, as I intertwined my fingers with his, "crap" I said aloud as I remembered something

"What" Ace asked raising an eyebrow

"If Izo reaches the-" but I wasn't able complete my sentence as an explosion sound followed by a yell reached my ears "too late" I shrugged and walked towards the galley

"What did you do?"

"I hid a paint bomb by that door" I stated "I hope he likes pink hair"

"Oh my god you dropped pink dye" Ace chuckled "you could've gone with purple, it would've matched him better"

"How come I didn't think of that" I replied stupidly, sighing I opened the door and peaked inside to see Izo with some random others soaked in pink dye, walking towards them I raised my hands up declaring peace "I was going to take that but too late and don't worry in a week it would've faded away, though" I stated calmly trying my best not to laugh, but I couldn't and I finally cracked into small giggles "it is kind of funny, Ace suggested that I should've used purple but this is better"

"You want a taste of your own medicine" Izo asked threateningly

"C'mon guys I wasn't in my right mind and I said sorry" I told him as I backed a few steps away, the next thing I want is to be covered in dye, however Izo stayed still glaring at me, my eyes widened as I read his mind "guess not" quickly I dashed out of there and headed towards the deck with him hot on my trail.

"Come back here you little devil, and have a taste of your own medicine" his yell soared through the ships, gulping I hurried through a turn towards the other side of deck trying my best not to slip, crouching I went under two people causing the crate that was in their hands to fall on the floor and some of the bottles of sake inside to shatter, "sorry" I yelled as I turned around and watched the two men cursing as they picked the crate up

"Gotcha" Izo exclaimed as he appeared in front of me and pulled me into a bear hug, soaking my hair in pink dye and parts of my face, satisfied he backed away with a smile at his artwork, I stood there my hair pink and sticky, my face with some dye spots and the collar area of my shirt dirty with dye

"Pfft" I spat some of the dye from my mouth, "I got dye in my mouth" I croaked as I stuck my tongue out trying not to swallow any of the disgusting and poisonous dye

"Did you learn anything" Izo asked as he crossed his arms over his chest waiting for an answer

"Well I used to get hanged upside down from a tree branch until I apologize, but who cares if anything I learned now is that you are no fun to tease" I told him as I removed a couple of hair strands stuck to my face "I better go wash up before it's to late"

"You are staying pink for an entire week there is no use" Izo teased, thinking that he has won this round

"No I wont, I have some dye removers" I stated and headed towards the room for another shower "that only work on my type of skin, but if you stay soaked in the water for a long time it will fade faster" I added quickly.

Jumping down to the lower part of the upper deck I reached towards the door leading to the sleeping quarters, as I was about to open the door I spotted Ace approaching me "what happened to you" he asked trying his best not to laugh

"Got a taste of my own medicine" I chuckled, "don't worry I have what you would call a cure to remove it, so if you mind do not disturb me trying to get cleaned up"

"Izo doesn't know about the 'cure' does he?" He asked using his index and middle fingers to emphasize the word 'cure'

"No he does, but what he doesn't know is I lied about it" I smirked "now excuse me" I said before opening the door and heading towards our room to wash myself up.

Closing the door behind me I sighed and took off my boots and headed towards the bathroom, once I was in the closet I pulled out my storage, pressing the middle button a small bottle like a shampoo appeared, taking it I stripped of my clothes and entered the bathroom, locking both doors I hopped into the glass door and turned the tap on.

The water trickled down my skin washing some of the dye away, turning the water under my feet pink, squirting some of the remover on my hands I applied it on the dyed spots on my face, I kept scrubbing till I felt my skin burning me, rinsing it I looked at the mirror and spotted my hard effort to work and my face clear of dye.

Squirting another round I applied the remover on my hair and started to scrub my scalp removing the dye from my roots, I stayed like that for almost 10 minutes and my hands were killing me. Slowly I began to move down were it was easier to remove the dye, though I left a few strands at the bottom because I felt like dying my hair and as soon as I get out I will add blue and probably green dye.

Finally after 30 minutes of washing up I was done and had a towel wrapped around my body, walking towards my storage I placed my dirty clothes in the dirty basket of my storage and pulled out a pair of regular plain black underwear and white bra, which already appeared on my body seeing I wasn't in the mood to get dressed myself, grabbing a blow dryer I plugged it in and started to dry me hair.

After finishing up my hair I picked the storage again and took out a blue and green dye, I applied some of the blue dye next to the pink dye at the bottom of a couple of strands and then green next to them, though the dye was only at the bottom part of my hair and it didn't affect how I looked, using the blow dryer to dry it quickly rather than wait 45 minutes, I wrapped a towel over my body and headed towards the sink and washed my hair removing the excess dye, then back again drying my hair and combing it in a wavy style

Done from the hair drying I sighed and walked towards the corner near a drawer, I touched my storage and my body began to glow, soon I was wearing black jeans with a red low cut tank top and black heels, I had some metal bracelets around my wrist, a loose chain around my belt loop, my locket and diamond necklace, I had a bad girl look, specially with my wavy multi-dyed hair.

Checking that everything is fine I set my storage in Ace's desk and left the room, walking to the galley I gained some looks from the crew but I chose to ignore them and continued my way, maybe it is because of my new look, the only difference is that my hair is dyed at the bottom and I dressed like a bad girl well it was my normal look without the hair dye or heels, Shanks would flip if he saw me like this, then again he would be to drunk to notice.

Walking inside the galley I noticed how empty the place is, with only a few members setting up the plates for lunch, "oh hey Asuna" Haruta greeted as she walked into the galley

"Hey Haruta" I greeted back as I turned around and watched her stand next to me "how is it going"

"Well you and Izo made quite a mess, but I gotta say you should've used purple dye, he would look better in it than pink" she stated

"Ace also told me that" I chuckled

"Congrats...for regaining your memory" she added once she saw my confused expression

"So it's out huh?" I asked frowning at my lover's actions

"Well Ace wouldn't stop about it seeing how happy he is, other than that he got into a small little word fight with Marco, I don't know what it was about but Ace seemed a bit angry"

"It's just how he is, he want's to share his happiness" I stated smiling at how happy he was "that's why he is making such a big deal"

"What will he do about your wedding then?"

"I don't know, I just hope he wont declare it out to the world" I laughed "we wouldn't want marines crashing or anyone crashing, it's just the two crews and Ace's brother"

"Well I wonder about that, it's Ace we are talking about here" Haruta smiled "and just imagine the big deal he would do when you get pregnant and have a baby, when it will be born and the baby show-"

"Stop right there" I cut her off "that isn't going to happen until a few years later, I don't know about Ace but I am not planning to have a baby right now, probably after two or three years, I am to young to be called a mother"

"You are 20 how much older must you be to gain that title" Haruta asked

"I just sounded like Shanks" I gasped

"So you sounded like him what do you expect when you are around him"

"I'm inheriting his parenting attitude" I muttered, and thankfully Haruta didn't hear about anything, "when is lunch served, i'm hungry I didn't eat anything for breakfast" I asked hoping to change the subject.

"Well in thirty minutes, your feast would be ready" Haruta patted my shoulder "I just came to check how things are going so wanna go back up"

"Marco is up there is he?" I asked as a mischievous smirk crept into my face

"w-well yeah why" she hesitated

"I have a score to settle with him" I replied as I turned around and headed towards the deck, little did Marco know what was coming up to him, he would get the torture of the world, several plans already forming in my head. Then my mind wondered of the expressions the guys will have when they notice the drastic change, Haruta didn't really notice so it might be a bit of a fun show.

* * *

**A/N: so yeah this chapter isn't much, it just came out like this for no reason, cant help a 10 hour road trip, my writing stinks again, preferred the previous chapters but screw it, and I thought of adding a character so her you go**

**Rin**

**Name**: Rin

**Age:** 29

**Appearance:** Rin's most prominent feature is her purple hair reaching to her mid back, she is of average height and fair skin. She sports knee length shorts with a v-neck shirt, and gladiator heels, her hair is tied up in a high pony tail.

**Personality:** she is a mean and hateful person, her hate stems to ways she would torture anyone to any extent and would use any means to achieve her goals, she is self centered and somewhat a psycho path, her logic is a twisted one and seems to be obsessed with ending Asuna's life and bad mouths her

**Stats**: speed 5/5; offense 5/5; defense 4/5; intelligence 4/5

**Magic**: nullification magic - is the first magic she has shown, it is a defense type that allows her to nullify any attacks heading towards her weather it is magical, from a devil fruit or a regular physical attack; lightning magic - Rin can manipulate lightning as she wishes and uses it to attack as well as boost her speed; however her magic has a loophole as she can only use on magic at a time

**Info**: she plays somewhat a minor to a regular role in the plot, she is responsible for Asuna to grieve over loving Ace thinking it is impossible for her, she is also responsible for the latter not being able to participate for the next day of the games and having Ace transfuse his blood into Asuna.

**NOTE: well I tried to make it based on the re-written version that I'm still typing up**.


	57. comeback party

**A/N: hey i'm back with an update, finally i am back home after a long trip but to my luck i will start collage on sunday, and i wont have anytime to tend to this fic but i will try my best, anyhow i would like to say that i have a double update and i'm posting the rewritten versions of chapters 1 to 10, i had added more detail and changed the layout, enjoy this chap.**

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 54: comeback party**

I walked next to Haruta towards the deck, having already formed a plan in my head to torture Marco, as I pushed the door open I couldn't help but notice the eyeless sockets of the crew members, smiling I walked towards Ace where he stood next to Whitebeard, Marco and Jozu, glaring at Marco's back I walked towards my lover and tapped his shoulder "sorry I took long" I apologized

"Oh hey hun, I was about to -phew" Ace whistled as he turned around and looked at me, scanning my body up and down several times until he stopped at my breasts, staring at them intensively.

"Ace" I sighed as I placed two fingers under his chin and brought his attention to my face "your eyes up here"

"Wow you look" he wasn't able to find a right word to use, "different, bad, evil" I replied in his stead, "no I was going to say smoking hot" he corrected as he brought my lips to his in a soft loving kiss

"Hey love birds if you mind" Marco interrupted, pulling away from Ace my eyes turned dark, leaning towards his ear I whispered "I will be done with him soon"

"I already gave him a piece of my mind, and did I ever tell you that this shirt brings your breasts out" he whispered back so that only I was able to hear him, smiling I moved away a small blush on my cheeks "love you" I told him and turned around facing Marco with a dark expression

"Hey what's with that look" he stammered and took a few steps back

"You and I need to talk and settle a score" I stated as I gripped his upper arm tightly and pulled him with me inside. "Hey where are we going" he asked as we took a turn "oh the meeting room, but why?" He looked at the door

"Because I am going to interrogate, torture, and whatever I see fit" I stated as I opened the door and tossed him inside, locking the door behind me I turned and faced him "take a seat"

"Jeez don't be so harsh" he muttered as he pulled out a chair and sat on it

"Okay so here is the question" I asked as I crossed my arm and walked around the room like an interrogator would "when Ace kissed me a few minutes ago what did you mean by 'if you mind'"

"Well you are kissing the next thing we know is that you both are naked-" he replied, my face turned red and I instantly appeared next to him and slammed his face on the table, leaning towards him I whispered in his ears harshly "I am not as shallow as you"

"You're squishing my face" he muttered

"I don't care" I replied "and what about this morning"

"Well I cant help but over hear you two when I came by at night and was about to knock on your door but then I was like let them two have some time" he smirked

"You know what" I stated as I pulled my hand away and a sly smirk crossed my face, "what" he asked. "I was thinking it might've been a big mistake hooking Elisa up with you, I wonder what would she think about this" I threatened

"No please Asuna, I helped you win Ace over so please don't do this to me" he begged "be the better person, the person you were don't let this jumbled up mind and look do this to you"

"This is the real me, if you haven't notice" I growled "but you are the ass here, you've been teasing me and Ace non stop for the past week and B you didn't help me win Ace, he is the one who won me"

"Oh you're angry" he gulped

"Angry, hell I'm pissed in ways you cant imagine" I glared at him as I bent down to meet his eyes at the same level "I swear Marco if you don't keep your mouth shut, you will regret it an I mean it" I threatened, my pupils contracting causing my eyes to glow for an instant

"My lips are sealed, and I swear it on my life" he gulped and nodded, satisfied I stood up and unlocked the room "you are free to go" I told him as I walked out, little did he know that I just compelled him into keeping quiet.

"All is done" I told Ace as I sat next to him in the galley, he was already eating his starter forgetting the guest of honor - me - and the crew. Slowly people began to gather and were itching to party, assaulting the food next to Ace did he finally notice my presence "so how did it go" he asked

"So now you notice me" I asked as I set my food on the table demanding an answer "and it went well he isn't going to say any word in the future"

"I noticed you when you sat next to me 10 minutes ago" Ace replied a he kissed my cheek "and you didn't compel him did you"

"Maybe or maybe not" I replied cheekily, Ace raised an eyebrow knowing that I did "okay I compelled and threatened him, no biggie" I sighed, still he gave me that not so satisfied look "and when I say threatened I mean his relationship, he and Elisa will be history if he continues"

"Did I ever tell you how devious you are"

"I think so" I replied, my elbows against the table and my hand cupping my face, a smile decorating my face "so you're not mad" I asked

"No, but you outta teach me compulsion" he shrugged and leaned forward pecking my lips, flinching I gave off a confused expression "that was unexpected" I muttered but shrugged it off

"So hun, what's with the new look" he asked going back to his assault, but I knew his ears would be with me the whole time

"Just felt like it, but the only thing different is that I'm wearing heels and have dyed hair, the rest is my usual outfit it's just that you are used to seeing me in shorts and bikini tops" I stated "you should see me when I'm under cover, people tend to mistake me for a rich girl"

"With your hair and that outfit you wore earlier who would not think you are rich"

"Find something cheep and turn it rich, easier said than done, the guys in my crew think I'm so tomboyish to act like a lady or dress as one, they don't see the effort I pull in my disguises"

"I like you the way you are, and not all to girly obsessed with make up, dresses and blah blah blah"

"It's all in experience, I wear what is comfortable rather than pretty and itchy, that's why I don't like wearing heels the whole time, my feet's will fall if I wore them the whole time"

"Right now I don't think you would need heels, with them you are about my height and I don't need you to be any taller" Ace stated, causing me to hide my face and chuckle at how embarrassed he is

"It's not funny" he whined, tilting my head to side and looking at him with a smile "you make me laugh in ways no one can"

"Are you complementing me" he smirked as he took a plate of fries

"Is it so hard to say I love you" I asked as I sat up straight pouting at him, "no it's not and open up" he replied as he brought a few fries up to my lips, smiling I opened my mouth and ate them.

A few minutes later it turned into a full feast with party mode on, the music creating an energetic atmosphere, looking at the ground I remembered the good days with the crew, I bet that they were partying now singing and eating, getting drunk, I missed them and missed Shanks, though he can be annoying at times I still love him and couldn't ask for a better father, smiling I stood up from my seat and headed towards the piano ready to sing my favorite song.

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

* * *

My voice soared through the galley earning the attention of Ace, he turned around and looked at me smiling, instantly I knew he liked the song and is going to enjoy it, some of the crew members hummed along or tapped their foots on the ground along with the melody

* * *

_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo_

_Umikaze kimakase namimakase_

_Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu_

_Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta_

_[Going to deliver Binks' Sake!_

_Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!_

_Far across the salty depths! The merry evening sun!_

_The birds sing as they draw circles in the sky !]_

* * *

I began, gathering myself quite a crowd, just singing this song made me happy remembering the days Shanks sat there teaching me the lyrics, or when we would be too drunk and would sing along together

* * *

_Sayonara minato, Tsumugi no sato yo_

_DON to icchou utao, funade no uta_

_Kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete_

_Oretacha yuku zo, umi no kagiri_

_[Farewell to the harbor, To my old hometown_

_Lets all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail_

_Waves of gold and silver dissolve to salty spray_

_As we all set sail to the ends of the sea]_

* * *

To every pirate those lyrics held a deep meaning, it wasn't just a song sung by drunkards, nor was it a song from the book of bedtime songs, it was our song a song that tells parts of our lives, to me the meaning was so deep, whenever I sung this verse I used to remember my hometown and everything I left but I don't grieve over it, rather embrace the full meaning of this song.

* * *

_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo_

_Warera kaizoku, umi watteku_

_Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo_

_Ho ni hata ni ketateru wa dokuro_

_[Going to deliver Binks' Sake!_

_We are pirates sailing through the Sea!_

_The waves are our pillows, The ship our roost_

_Flying the proud skull on our flags and our sails]_

* * *

Now it was Ace, I felt that this verse was meant for Ace, he was the proudest pirate I ever met next to my father, looking at him I saw him smiling and tapping his foot on the floor, a cup of beer in his hand, it was as if he was agreeing with me and saying that being a pirate, free from the world is the greatest thing ever.

* * *

_Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni_

_Nami ga odoru yo, DORAMU narase_

_Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo_

_Asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi_

_[Now comes a storm through the far-off sky_

_Now the waves are dancing, Beat upon the drums_

_If you lose your nerve this breath could be your last_

_But if you just hold on, The morning sun will rise]_

* * *

There was the verse telling people that we pirates live with our life hanging on the line the whole time, that we are strong enough to sail the seas, that we are not afraid of death - well some of us. That we all long for the morning sun because it isn't an easy life to live.

* * *

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo_

_Kyou ka asu ka to yoi no yume_

_Te wo furu kage ni, mou aenai yo_

_Nani wo kuyokuyo, asu mo tsukuyo_

_[Going to deliver Binks' Sake!_

_Today, and tomorrow, our dreams through the night!_

_Waving our goodbyes, we'll never meet again!_

_But don't look so down, For at night the moon will rise!]_

* * *

True enough, we have dreams and we are living them. We meet people along the way but we have to say goodbye, no matter how painful, we are strong enough to say goodbye and handle the pain. But Shanks taught me that we never say goodbye until a person dies, that's when we truly say goodbye.

* * *

_Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo_

_DON to icchou utao, unaba no uta_

_Douse dare demo itsuka wa hone yo_

_Hatenashi, atenashi, waraibanashi_

_[Going to deliver Binks' Sake_

_Let's all sing it with a Don! A song of the waves_

_Doesn't matter who you are, Someday you'll just be bones_

_Never-Ending, Ever-wandering, Our funny Traveling tale!]_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,_

_Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho._

Finally playing the last note on the piano, I brought my favorite song to an end, a round of applause complemented my singing, looking around I saw the smiled I made, how happy they were, out of the crowd I heard Whitebeard laugh he seemed amused, pushed in front of the old man I looked up to him nervously

"Gurarara kid who taught you that old song" he asked, placing his giant bottle on the side

"Umm...Shanks" I replied rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly "it's my favorite"

"Does he make you sing it the whole time" he asked

"Well kind of, we sing it as a group and you can guess the lead, but I am kind of the crew's entertainment so I sing for them most of the time" I replied

"Well that was all I was going to ask, not everyone sings that song as good as you"

"It isn't about making it sound good, it's about what you feel when you sing that song, each verse has a meaning so, to me it's about this pirate who describes how his life was, which is pretty much the same as ours, I find ways to relate to him, that's why it turns out good when you add your feelings to a song rather than sing like a zombie" I explained

"Gurarara kid, you really are mature in ways unlike some idiot son of mine" he stated looking at Ace, following his eyes I smiled at my fiancé who frowned like a child

"Not really at times I can be quite childish" I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly and slowly unnoticeably backing away "but I have my wise moments"

"Well see you around" Whitebeard picked his big bottle and started drinking it, meaning I was dismissed, nodding I dashed away from the crowd before appearing by Ace's side, wrapping my arms around his shoulder from behind and resting my chin on his shoulder, I planted a kiss on his neck "hey babe"

"Hey" he greeted rubbing my forearm and kissing the back of my hand before escorting it so I was in front of him now, pouting because he made me let go of him, Ace pulled out a bottle of alcohol and handed it to me "thought you could use some"

"Hard core liquor" I read the label of the bottle, my other hand interlocked with his, turning the bottle I searches for the type but couldn't find one, shrugging I opened the cap "doesn't hurt anyone, but hey I missed a lot of drinking"

"You sure did" he smiled at seeing me drink from the bottle in one go, removing the now empty bottle from my mouth I gave off a sour face

"Ahh, hadn't felt taste of alcohol in my mouth for a while" I stated as I looked at the bottle once again and noticed the type of drink "Ale is defiantly not Vodka, whoever manufactured this is a cheap stick"

"And that's my girl" he joked as he brought his lips to mine, obviously for one reason, he didn't need to bite my lip to taste me, I was generous enough and let him invade my mouth and didn't bother with a fight, his fiery tongue touching every single spot in my mouth made me melt, there came his tongue licking the corner of my throat slowly, pulling away he bit my lower lip slowly leaving a trail of saliva as he rested his forehead against mine, stroking his thumb against my cheek, "you taste better like this" he stated

"Well try kissing me after my next bottle and it's going to be something strong" I stated as I backed away smirking playing with his hand swinging it, it's been a week since I drank anything alcoholic and for some reason I felt dry "we will have a drinking party"

"No I'm good with beer and rum" Ace replied declining my offer "I will taste the rest from you"

"Hey Asuna you up for a drinking contest" Marco yelled as he held a bottle of sake in his hands

"You are having a drinking contest this early of the day" Haruta exclaimed as she watched people gathering around Marco ready for the contest, turning around I looked at Ace who gave me a knowing smile "knock 'em dead" he ordered

"I'm a bit rusty but I can hold my own" I replied as I walked towards the flock of contestants "gimmie your strongest" I ordered as I took a seat between Marco and Vista, both men chuckled knowing I'm putting up a game and thinking that they can win, tough luck for them since I won the pirate drinker award during the games, and they don't know that I started drinking at 13, a month after I was legally allowed to drink.


	58. leaving the crew

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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**Chapter 55: leaving the crew**

I sat in our room waiting for Ace to come, the party had lasted long and was heavy, with most of the crew drunk and couldn't lift a finger, I sat there waiting for a long time for Ace to come, bored out of my mind and the alcohol taking a bit of effect on me. Finally as if my prayers were answered Ace entered the room more alert than before, "what took you long I was almost bored to death" I whined as I stood up and approached my lover, resting my hands on his biceps as he held my elbows, a pout on my face.

"It's a bit messy up there" he replied as he brought his lips to mine, licking them for starters before shoving his tongue into my mouth, tasting and licking every single spot to down my throat "that's more like it, cant get enough" he breathed as he rested his forehead against mine, and pecked my lips again

"So you prefer alcohol on me huh?" I teased

"It seems like I will let you drink my share" he chuckled as he brought me closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he moved his to my waist, our lips met once again, but this time I put up a battle, his teeth biting my lower lip as his tongue fought against mine, moving my hands up to his hair and playing with his locks I deepened the kiss, breaking apart I looked at him still playing with his hair my lips swollen red and gasping for air.

"Were you always this cheeky" he asked as he looked into my eyes and I looked into his, only once did I notice how deep they were, complete utter darkness, they were mesmerizing along with his freckles

"I don't know" I replied absent minded, still gazing at his eyes "since when were your eyes this mesmerizing"

"They are the same nothing changed about them" he answered slightly confused, I shook my head in disagreement, "hun, I need to tell you something" he stated as he brought me to the bed and headed to the closet searching for something before coming back and checking his desk.

"Where is it" he cursed as he returned to the closet creating quite the mess there, still not finding the item he is searching for he came back to the room running his hand through his hair "hun, did you see-"

"This?" I cut him off as I brought my hand upwards in front of me, with a log pose between my fingers. He raised an eyebrow as he took the pose and wrapped it around his wrist "okay gimmie a sec I'll be right back" he asked as he went inside the closet only to turn back and look at me

"This?" I asked as I brought my hand out and some sort of cubic light appeared and a green stripped bag was hanging from my index finger, he looked at me with wide eyes, and now I was sure of suspicions standing up I walked towards him "you're leaving aren't you" I asked slightly frowning

"I was going to tell you, I would've packed things we would have a good night and when you will wake up I will be long gone" he replied as he approached me, trying to take his bag

"Why leave tonight not tomorrow morning?" I asked as I pulled the bag behind me, telling him that he isn't getting it any time soon. "Because if I don't leave tonight I wont be able to leave" he replied slightly frustrated

"So you would've left me alone in the morning" I asked slightly hurt, "it's like you are going to ditch me as if I'm a one night stand"

"No it's not like that" he explained as he brought me back to the bed, my frown and anger not leaving my side "if I told you I'm leaving would've you let me" he asked, looking down I shook my head "exactly, and you would've had the crew to back you up and no one is going to let me do what I want just like the last time"

"I didn't mean it like that, it's just that when I got my memories back you have to leave, we didn't spend any time together and I…I just don't know" I sighed, not knowing how to explain my situation

"Well just bear with it for a while, I know it's a lot to ask but do it for me, I will be back before you know it, I've got a lead it will be easier" he argued

"Uhm" I nodded, I just couldn't believe he is getting to me like that, so my week of heaven is going to turn into a living hell, I will return back and see the one person I despise the most, and the man I love is going to be on some dangerous quest.

"Asuna is there something bothering you" he asked as he noticed my expression, I lifted my head and pursed my lips before giving in "I'm not going back" I stated my voice filled with determination

"What"

"You heard me, I'm not going back, I'm staying here" I replied before my eyes widened in realization, smiling I looked at him "I'm coming with you'

"What? No" he exclaimed obviously hating the idea

"Why not, I have nothing to do here and I'm not going back, I didn't call shanks to tell him I regained my memory so he would think I am here trying to get it back" I explained

"No your not" he argued standing up and closing the door that he left open

"Give me on reason why I shouldn't go with you"

"A. It doesn't concern you, B. it's dangerous, C. I'm your husband and I'm telling you no" he explained

"Oh" I smirked as I walked up to him "correction we are not married yet so you are my fiancé not husband"

"Doesn't make a difference my point is that I don't want you to be in danger, I want you to be some place safe" he explained as he caressed my cheeks, cupping my face with his hands

"And being with my crew where I don't know, the person who tried to kill me is amongst them counts as a safe place" I asked

"Okay I didn't think of that, but what I meant is"

"Please, Ace it's one thing I ask of you take me with you, I'm not going to be dead weight, I could help you track teach but"

"But what"

"Once we find him you are on your own, I promised to stay away from him" I swallowed, knowing that I would be all the way supporting him but when he needed it the most I wouldn't be there for him was defiantly not a good feeling

"Promise me that if we accidently encounter him you are going to run" he asked, my eyes widened in shock did he just give me a condition so I can come with him, smiling I nodded "I promise"

"Okay but under no circumstances are you going to stop me" he gave in, happy I leaped into his arms "thank you, thank you" I cried in happiness as I hugged his neck tightly

"Babe now you're chocking me" he croaked trying to pry away from my grip

"Oh sorry" I apologized as I let go of him and backed a few steps, picking up his bag in my hands "I think you are going to need this" I handed him the bag "I've already packed your things, clean clothes and some cash, also one bottle of water"

"Thanks babe, you better pack up" he stated as he took the bag and laid it next to the door and headed to his closet getting his flashy orange hat, only to come back to see me wearing a jacket over my clothes, changed my heels to boots, my hair tied in a high pony tail, a white cloth cross shoulder bag with light pink linings and a star in the middle, inside it was a pair of extra clothes, water, a bottle of sake, my den den mushi, storage, and some extra items

"What, everything is in my storage, I can store some things if you want?" I asked, once I noticed his confused expression. "Really" he asked as if he was glad, the second I nodded he entered the closet and came out with 2 hats - a black and an orange one, another pair of boots, a boxer, two shirts and shorts, and a coat.

"Can you store those" he asked as he laid them on the bed and brought the black hat placing it over my head "and this is for you"

"Thanks" I blushed as I brought the hat lower "it feels different than what it looks" I stated, as I pressed on the storage, a screen appeared and I pressed a button that stands for new category which I named '_**ACE'S ITEMS**_' and placed all his items there, the entire process took about ten minutes "okay I'm done"

"There is no time to waste" he stated as he carried me bridal style instantly and headed towards the deck, I held to his neck as he carried me checking if anyone is in our way or will encounter us, lucky for us we made it to the back of the ship unnoticed "you sure about this" he asked as we reached closer to the railings

"A hundred percent sure" I replied kissing his cheeks "now hurry up before someone finds us"

"Here we go" he stated as he stepped over the railings and landed on his skiff gently, releasing the rope and lighting his legs causing the engine to start and the skiff to move. The breeze hitting against my skin as we sped up made me shiver but Ace's warmth was there for me, I held onto him as I focused my Haki on our surroundings "2 o'clock there is an island about an hour away" I stated

"Is it inhabited" Ace asked as he increased his power and held me tightly in his arms, "well the other side is, which is about a 30 minute sail if we keep up this pace" I replied

"We will rest there tonight and set out in the morning" he stated as he turned the skiff slightly to the right and increased his speed even more, I rested my head on his chest seeking his warmth as I rhymed my entity with my surroundings, feeling the fish move, the see breeze, the sound of the waves, Ace's heartbeat, and about everything it made me relaxed and calm, at times like this do I seek those soothing sounds.

"Hey we are here" Ace stated waking me up, lifting my head and tilting it to the side I saw the buildings of the island as we pulled up at the docks

"When did I fall asleep" I asked as Ace's flames died down and he gently set me on my feet, and slowly jumping onto the dock, tying his skiff to the cleat.

"I don't know, you were relaxing and the next thing I now you were fast asleep" he replied jumping of his skiff and making sure that it wont leave the docks on it's own

"Sorry" I apologized "I wasn't suppose to fall asleep it's just listening to everything made me fall asleep"

"But you weren't asleep for that long about half an hour ago" he stated as he flung his arms around me "let's get some rest we have to leave early tomorrow"

"There must be an inn somewhere" I looked at my surroundings searching for an inn "and tomorrow we use my mini boat, it's as convenient as your skiff but has bigger space"

"We will decide that in the morning" Ace stated as we headed deep into the town, we searched for about 10 minutes until we found an Inn, pushing the doors we were met with a small desk in dim settings "one room please" I asked the old man sitting behind the desk, the man lifted his head up as he blew some smoke of his puff pipe "you aint from around here" he asked "are you pirates"

"And what if I said yes" Ace asked the man back

"Then you aint welcome here" he spat, now that was disrespectful kicking us out just because we are pirates, Ace gave me the look that said compel him, nodding I leaned onto the desk and looked the old man in the eye "I thought I asked for one room" I asked once again

"Right away" he nodded and pulled out a key from his desk "that would be 1500 per night"

"Hmm…but I don't want to pay it's to expensive"

"Don't worry it's on the house" he smiled handing me the key "that's room 206 on the second floor towards you right, enjoy your stay"

"Thank you" I smiled back taking the key and heading towards the stairs, "room two o' six" I asked no one as I looked at the hallway "there it is" I stated as I placed the key in the lock and opened the door, I was greeted by a normal sized room, if not slightly bigger, with one big queen bed, a desk, a small closet and a bathroom with a big tub

"I'm in love with this tub" I stated looking at the tub, before walking towards it and plugging the drain then opening the hot water to max,

"You breaking up with me for a tub" Ace exclaimed in a childish tone causing me to chuckle "no I am not breaking up with you whatsoever" I replied as I walked towards him throwing my bag on the floor and wrapped my arms around his neck planting a soft kiss

"I know" he smirked as he brought his hands to my waist "just wanted you to do that" he added as he brought his lips down to mine, fluttering my eyes closed I kissed him back, my hand playing with his locks as I deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with mine, fire blazing inside of my mouth, breaking apart we each panted before I smiled widely and finally chuckled

"You could always ask for a kiss" I smiled tilting my head to the side for a better view of my lover's face

"But it's different when you give me one to make it up to me when I say something"

"Oh really" I asked raising an eyebrow, seeing where this will end and already presuming I will win "yes really" he replied, letting go of his hold I walked away towards my bag with a sly smirk "then I will not give in to you, the next time you want to kiss me I will make you beg"

"You wont last long" Ace teased, trying to provoke me and prove me wrong

"We will see" I stated "I was until well yesterday a virgin so hmm…I think I could last a few days without kissing you"

"Oh and what is my prize" he asked as he stood in front of me, shortening the distance between us

"Hmm… let's see" I replied in a playful tone "I could do this" seductively I ran a finger across his chest "and maybe this" I added running my finger down and shortening the distance so we were an inch apart "or this" I added closing the gap between our faces, our lips almost touching, chuckling I broke away looking and how disappointed Ace was

"And if you win" Ace added trying to think of a prize "I will give you whatever you want for a week"

"You're on babe" I smirked before picking my bag up and taking out a pair of undies and a pajama and my storage, "I will be in the bathroom if you need me"

"And I will sit here patiently" he stated as he moved to the bed, shrugging I walked inside the bathroom setting my clothes on the shelf and spraying some bubbles in the water, before heading back to the room and wait for my tub to fill the other half

"You're back" Ace exclaimed as he saw me enter the room and walk towards him, sitting on the left side of the bed and activating my storage I flipped to the food screen, searching for some thing to eat "I'm hungry" I stated

"You have a mini kitchen inside" Ace exclaimed in amazement "what do you not have inside" he asked as he approached me

"Well I don't have a bathroom inside for starters and there are many things that I don't have" I explained "uo gummy bears"

"You like them"

"Only the ones they make in my home town, they really are tasty, and don't worry they are not from 4 years ago, last time I ordered something was three weeks ago so they are new"

"Ordered?"

"Oh I didn't tell you" I asked which earned a confused look "I can use my storage to access stores from my home town and buy stuff that are magically teleported into here, I even have my own mailbox"

"That is complicated" Ace stated as he climbed the bed next to me, and a packet of gummy bears appeared on my lap, tearing the packet open I sniffed in the smell of the gummies "aint it a delicious smell" I asked as I shoved the packet in front of Ace

"Well it does smell tempting but I don't know" he replied

"Do you trust me"

"Yeah"

"Here I will eat with you" I stated as I placed a few pieces in his palm and took a handful in mine "one two three" I counted down and together we ate the gummies, Ace froze in place before he swallowed the rest "damn those are good"

"Didn't I tell you" I smirked as I took out another handful before the packet was snatched from my hands "hey my gummy bears" I whined like a kid pouting at Ace

"I like them, and you took two handfuls" he argued back as he started assaulting my packet

"meanie" I pouted as I took my storage and headed to the bathroom once I heard the water fill up "see you later" I waved at Ace before closing the door, "have fun" he waved back and continued eating my gummy bears.

Chuckling I tied my hair in an up-do and stripped before entering the hot bath, a sigh of relief and relaxation escaping my lips as the water made contact against my skin, after a long week I defiantly needed this bath, using my storage I pulled out a bottle of sake to drink in my bath, taking a sip of my drink I closed my eyes and looked at the ceiling my mind wondering to my beloved '_family_' and specially Shanks.

'_stupid dad what are you doing right now_' I thought as a memory of his face flashed in the back of my mind '_even though it's been a week I miss him as if it was a month, never in my exploits did I miss him this much_' sighing I took another sip of my sake, both hands on either sides of the tub, failing to notice the tear that rolled down my cheek

meeting Shanks was the best thing that ever happened to me, I never knew that one person could change my world just like that, he was the father I always wanted loving and caring, if only Miles-san didn't hide my birth he would've been there for me, I just wish I could call him dad in the plain day and I am defiantly proud of being his daughter, out of all people he knew my mother the best and loved her after what she did, guess that trait passed down to me as I love Ace despite who he is.

'_I just want to know who is that stupid guy to ever fall in love with that woman, and to have a child with her_' a memory rang in my ears, how much do I despise those people, calling me a demon was fine but insulting Shanks they will pay for it, it was the same group of six who kept insulting me and if I ever see them again I will rip their hearts out of their chests, I do not need them to insult Ace if they ever meet him, who knows what would happen.

* * *

**A/N: all i could say is it will be a while before i post again but until then enjoy this fic and if you have time re-read chapters 1 to 10 and please drop a review, thank you**


	59. teardrops

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

* * *

**Chapter 56: teardrops**

'_I just want to know who is that stupid guy to ever fall in love with that woman, and to have a child with her_' a memory rang in my ears, how much do I despise those people, calling me a demon was fine but insulting Shanks they will pay for it, it was the same group of six who kept insulting me and if I ever see them again I will rip their hearts out of their chests, I do not need them to insult Ace if they ever meet him, who knows what would happen.

Looking back in the past, the many memories I want to forget were flashing in my mind, how I would keep my act strong enough through the day, smiling at their insults but at night I would cry myself to sleep, I haven't cried to bed for a long time now, I am happy with the crew more than I was in my hometown.

'_It would be a waste of looks if her father was hot_' I don't get how but sometimes those people were unbelievably sick, why should they care if Shanks was good looking or not, he is my father not theirs.

'_Oh my god I just sounded clingy_' I thought with a smile, yup he is my father and only mine, just like I'm his one and only daughter, thinking about it Ace is going to be his son-in-law so he is going to share that title between us.

'_I wonder where that girl's father is, why doesn't he take care of her and spare us from looking at her_'

'_Well he is either dead or doesn't want the responsibility of that mistake child and regrets sleeping with that woman_'

'_You mean a one time thing and she got pregnant, not only is she a devil but a slut as well_' a conversation rang, two women discussing why I am not under the care of my father, well excuse me but someone hid me from the world and my dad didn't know about me, and one big mistake there my mother isn't a slut, she is married to my father and committed to him, only him.

'_Elkh, don't sit were that girl sat, she must've put some deadly spell on the chair_' a girl told her friend when I was about 9 years old, I yet didn't know why the people hated me, that day I had ordered a bento and luckily the restaurant was kind enough to let me buy from them, I remember when I used to get kicked out of restaurants and shops for just being there

Sitting in the tub taking random sips from my sake and failing to notice my tears or Ace standing by the door calling me due to the fact I had spent about 30 minutes sitting there thinking back to my younger days and the harsh life. "Asuna is everything alright" he asked but I wasn't able to hear him as I was so absorbed in the past, taking another sip to forget about it I slid more into the tub, so everything bellow my chin was underwater.

"Babe please speak to me" Ace asked in a worried tone, but the only answer he received was me humming softly and leaning my head backwards "goodnight, my angel time to close your eyes" I sang softly "and to save these questions the another day"

"What other day?" Ace asked slightly confused "and I am not asking you questions I want you to talk to me"

"I think I know what you've been asking me, I think you know what I've been trying to say" I hummed as tears began falling again "I promised I would never leave you, and you should always know" I softly sang "wherever you go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away"

I was brought to reality by a pair of warm lips against mine, blinking once. Twice. Thrice, I raised my hand in the air to slap Ace hardly across the cheek mistaking him for Lyle, after the loud slap sound and the big red mark on Ace's cheek did I realize what I did "shit" I swore

"Oww, why did you do that" he exclaimed as he tried to put his jaw back to place and leaned back using his free hand as means of support, and to help him get over the pain "damn your slap hurts"

"You idiot" I angrily exclaimed as I quickly jumped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body tightly "what do you think you were doing by kissing me, ugh" I sighed as I walked towards Ace helping him up

"I was trying to get you back, you were in there for 30 minutes and I've kept calling you but you didn't respond then you started singing some lullaby and crying" he stated as he stood up rubbing the sore spot

"Here let me see" I asked as I softly removed his hand and took a look at the spot "you're lucky I didn't break your jaw" I stated as I ran my fingers softly around his jawline while the other hand cupped his face "just don't startle me like that again"

"And you don't give me a fright" he fretted, cupping my face in his hands and caressing my cheeks "now tell me why were you crying"

"I wasn't crying" I argued back, but Ace seemed unmoved as he raised an eyebrow, finally noticing some dryness against my cheeks and by my eye did I realize that they were tear trails "how long was I crying" I asked as I wiped my eyes and felt my eyes sting

"The whole time" Ace sighed as he dragged me towards the W.C (lavatory) closing the lid and sitting down on it before he sat me on his lap "and what about that song, lullaby I don't know"

"I don't really know what that song is, all I remember is when I was little and sad I would hear it, and somehow the lyrics would soothe me and now they are drilled in my mind" I explained "until a year ago, after that earl incident I cried myself to sleep and in my dream that night I heard it, and for some reason I think it was my mum trying to say sorry in her own way"

"That's twisted logic but judging who this logic revolves around, somehow it all makes sense"

"How, I tried to come of proof that it was my mother but I don't even know her voice to say it's true, besides the lyrics aren't meant to say I'm sorry" I mumbled the last part

"Yes they did, it perfectly said I'm sorry that I had to leave" he argued, sighing I shook my head and looked down to his chest "that was just the first verse there is more to it" I stated, when I looked up I saw Ace's eyes entirely in their own world, staring at my breasts, sighing I used my index and middle finger to tilt his head upwards to face me "something you like" I smirked

"You are just so hot damn sexy in this towel" he smirked back as he rested his hands on my waist "and I can't seem to concentrate or take my eyes of you"

"Why don't you go back to the room, and I will change and come to you, I swear I wont take long this time" I suggested as I stood up and took a few steps before turning around and seeing Ace looking at me intensively, realizing where his eyes were I brought my hands down to make sure it's covering everything "c'mon my ass isn't that big"

"Hmm" he hummed as he tilted his head to the side and cupped his chin while he crossed his other hand in a thoughtful way "why is it that I didn't realize you look so hot until recently"

"Maybe because you weren't looking properly" I stated as I turned around, a smirk crossing my face. Placing my hand to where the knot of the towel is, I looked at Ace "want a peek again"

"Umm…" in that instant his face flushed red and jumped from his seat "you know what, I will leave and let you change" he stated pointing towards the door

"Thought so" I smiled as I watched him leave, once he was out of the bathroom and closed the door, I let go of the towel and dressed into my underwear and pajama which consisted of grey elastic waist shorts and a grey fitted scoopneck, racerback cami shirt and a baby pink peace sign. Once I was dressed I combed my hair and stored my clothes in my dirty section of the storage, making sure everything was set I left the bathroom to see Ace lying on the bed, his arms crossed behind his head and his legs crossed as if he was thinking of something or trying to fall asleep but I decided the former because it is obvious he wont sleep now.

"Hey" I greeted as I leaned on the wall, my right hand resting on my left upper arm, "hey back" he smiled and gestured me to come towards him, kicking of from the side of the wall I walked towards the bed, climbing from the corner and crawled to his side, using his upper arm as a pillow, I laid on my side and wrapped my arm around his waist "I'm sorry about earlier, my memories still"

"It's alright, I should've known it was something like that, anyhow how are you feeling" he asked as he ran his fingers through my hair, chuckling I looked at him "I'm fine but-" I paused for a second "it's me who should ask you this, how is your jaw"

"Woman, if you had hit me any stronger you would've broken my jaw" he stated, more like teased "but I'm all better now so you don't have to worry"

"Next time don't kiss me like that, I mistook you for that asshole Lyle" I sighed as I leaned towards his chest, closing my eyes I listened to his heartbeat, for some reason I seem to like the rhythm he was making

"Get some rest, I'm feeling sleepy as well" he yawned as he pulled the covers over us, keeping me warm with his heat and the covers

"Hmmm…" I began humming, I felt Ace's muscles relax as I started singing softly "goodnight my angel time to close your eyes and save those questions for another day"

"It sounds better now" Ace commented as I sang, running my fingers along his chest absent mindedly I continued to sing "I think I know what you've been asking me, I think you know what I've been trying to say, I promised I would never leave you"

"And you should always know, wherever you may go no matter where you are, I will never be far away" I softly sang "hmhmhmhm…" I continued humming, feeling the vibe of the happy melody of the lullaby "goodnight my angel now it's time to sleep, and still so many things I want to say"

A tear rolled down my eyes, remembering some of my happiest moments "remember all the songs you sang for me, when we went sailing on an emerald bay, and like a boat on the ocean I'm rocking you to sleep, the water's dark and deep inside this ancient heart, you will be part of me"

"Goodnight my angel now it's time to dream, and dream how wonderful your life will be, someday your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby, then in your heart there will always be a part of me"

"Someday we'll all be gone but lullabies go on and on, they never die that's how you and I will be, goodnight my angel now's the time to sleep, close your eyes and dream, dream of how your life will be, someday we'll be gone but lullabies go on and on, just like you and me"

Closing my eyes shut I cuddled into Ace's sleeping figure, singing this song plus Ace's warmth made me feel safe and relaxed, sometimes I wish that every night would be like this, neither have I seen Ace sleep so soundly, usually he would be worried or just exhausted not to mention his narcolepsy fits "sleep well" I whispered before I fell asleep myself.

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**A/N: so hey I finished this chapter sooner than possible, it's short but has some emotion in it, the lullaby I used is called 'goodnight my angel' sung by Billy Joel, there are also different versions of this song but Billy's is the original so all credits go to him, but I changed some of the verses slightly and added extra lines, but the notes I used is the song by Miley Cyrus and her father called 'butterfly fly away', when I was browsing for songs I found hers and I liked the tune, so imagine the tune on this song, bellow I will write each line, so like every melody will be in one line and separated by a ';'**

* * *

_**Hmmmm….**_

_**Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes and save those questions for another day;**_

_**I think I know what you've been asking me, I think you know what I've been trying to say, I promised I would never leave you;**_

_**And you should always know, wherever you may go no matter where you are, I will never be far away;**_

_**hmhmhmhm…;**_

_**Goodnight my angel now it's time to sleep, and still so many things I want to say;**_

_**Remember all the songs you sang for me, when we went sailing on an emerald bay, and like a boat on the ocean I'm rocking you to sleep;**_

_**The water's dark and deep inside this ancient heart, you will be part of me;**_

_**Goodnight my angel now it's time to dream, and dream how wonderful your life will be;**_

_**Someday your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby, then in your heart there will always be a part of me;**_

_**Someday we'll all be gone but lullabies go on and on, they never die that's how you and I will be;**_

_**Goodnight my angel now's the time to sleep, close your eyes and dream;**_

_**Dream of how your life will be, someday we'll be gone but lullabies go on and on, just like you and me.**_


End file.
